The term DECLARED NOT GUILTY can be summarized as a legal decision in which a person is found to have no culpability for a crime. The crossword solution for this term is PLED, which is short for pleading. In the legal system, a plea is an answer to a criminal charge that is either guilty or not guilty. When a person pleads not guilty, they are declaring that they are not responsible for the crime and should not be held accountable.