Crossword Genius

Murdered in the crime around Los Angeles (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

slain

'murdered' is the definition.
('slay' can be a synonym of 'murder')

'crime around los angeles' is the wordplay.
'crime' becomes 'sin'.
'around' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'los angeles' becomes 'la'.
'sin' placed around 'la' is 'SLAIN'.

'in the' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for slain that I've seen before include "Violently killed" , "Put to the sword" , "Killed, murdered" , "Slaughtered" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app