For the majority of these past six seasons, our main focus has centered around our core Liars and how their lives have been impacted due to A. But it's important to remember that they, by far, weren't the only ones to suffer from A's wrath. Many other Rosewood residents had understandable cause to hate A and want revenge, which is a big part of what makes identifying Charlotte's killer on Pretty Little Liars so darn difficult. She wasn't exactly a beloved citizen of Rosewood. However, I think the location of her death may hold a vital clue in tracking her murderer down. In fact, it's the No. 1 reason why I suspect that Melissa Hastings killed Charlotte on that fateful night in question.
As many of you already know by now, thanks to the promos, Tuesday night's episode "The Gloves Are On" signifies the return of Spencer's older sister, which seems rather convenient given there's no way for us to know what exactly she's been doing up until this time. And not having an alibi usually means you have something to hide. But this theory is less about her reemergence and more about her connection to the Rosewood bell tower and everything it represents.
For those of you who are a little shaky on the details, Melissa's now-deceased husband, Ian Thomas, was pushed from the bell tower by Alison (dressed as A) after he attempted to harm Spencer. The fall didn't kill him, though. He was later found with a gunshot wound to his head after committing suicide. Many believed A was somehow involved, but I. Marlene King later confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that Ian's death was by his own hand, though, Mona did write the fake suicide note. And let's not forget that the stress of finding Ian's dead body led to Melissa losing the baby the day afterward.
Charlotte may not have been directly involved with any of these occurrences, but it could be argued that all of the tragedy that's happened since the pilot has stemmed from her actions. If there was no A, then maybe none of this would've happened. And maybe that's exactly how Melissa feels. Perhaps, as a tribute to Ian and their baby, Melissa wanted to kill Charlotte in the very place where everything in her life went so horribly wrong. We've seen the extents that Melissa is willing to go to protect Spencer, so just imagine the loyalty she feels toward her own husband and child.
It's possible that Melissa lured Charlotte out of the house under false pretenses in the hopes of making amends for her sins. But Melissa's anger got the best of her and she decided to take justice into her own hands. (Hey, it's not like it would be the first dead body she'd be responsible for.) However, I doubt this secret will be able to stay buried for long. The truth will come out eventually and when it does, let's hope the entire Hastings clan won't be thrown under the bus in the process.
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