Final answer:
Henry Clerval is murdered by the Monster in "Frankenstein," and Victor Frankenstein is initially charged with the crime due to his proximity and mental state. He is later cleared when an alibi confirms he wasn't at the scene when the murder occurred.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein", Henry Clerval is murdered by Victor's creation, the Monster, as a way to exact revenge on Victor for not creating a female companion as he had promised. The murder takes place while Victor and Clerval are in Ireland. The scene of the murder is particularly grisly, with Clerval's body being found with the marks of the Monster's fingers on his neck.
Victor is initially charged with the crime because he is found in a state of delirium near the location where Clerval's body was discovered. With no one else to blame and circumstances pointing to him, Victor is taken into custody. However, he is eventually cleared of all charges due to a lack of evidence directly linking him to the crime and also because an alibi confirms that he was on the Orkney Islands at the time of Clerval's death.