Cases / Case 5
Case 5: The House Burner
- Players who cleared it
- 8,095
- Of everyone who cleared Case 1
- 1.6%
- Suspect
- Leo
The case
Arson — burning down the old warehouse. The briefing notes the suspect claimed to be playing video games at the time.
What the suspect will tell you
Lines observed in recorded playthroughs. Wording varies between runs — the deflection pattern does not.
- "I buy gas in bulk. It's just for my dirt bike. I have a generator, too."
- "I was still home all night. I was gaming. My roommate can back me up."
- On the CCTV: "I don't know how that footage got there", then "it could be a fake".
Where the story breaks
He walks his own story back three times — never went there, then maybe earlier that day, then "I went there… just to grab my bike". The confession follows immediately after.
How to run this interrogation
Leo starts from the strongest position of any suspect: a hobby that explains the physical evidence, and a roommate who can alibi him. Arguing about the petrol is a losing trade — buying fuel in bulk for a dirt bike and a generator is not suspicious on its own, and he will spend your questions there happily.
The CCTV is the whole case. Watch what he does with it: first he has no idea how the footage got there, then it could be a fake, then he might have gone by earlier that day, then he went to grab his bike but never went inside. That is four positions in a row, each one conceding a little more. You do not need a new argument at any point — you only need to read his previous answer back to him. The confession follows the third revision.
Why this case stops people
Under 2% of Case 1 finishers ever see the end of this case. Not because Leo is smarter than Victor, but because you arrive with fewer questions to waste after four cases of learning the hard way.
The confession
“Okay, fine. I poured the gas and lit it. I wanted to get back at Mr. Reyes for the eviction. I swear I didn't know he was still inside.”