History Main / InheritanceMurder

[[folder: Film]]

* ''WesternAnimation/LaBalladeDesDalton'': Henry Dalton's nephews Joe, William, Jack, and Averell will inherit his fortune [[OnOneCondition if they kill the judge and the jury who sentenced him to death by hanging]].

* Discussed for laughs in the Franchise/StarWarsLegends fic, "[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/42138075 How To Succeed Without Even Trying]]", after Luke asks Vader if he has a will. When Vader asks why he wants to know, Luke flippantly mentions that Leia's cutting his budget for the Jedi Academy, so he's planning to kill Vader to get his inheritance.

* In ''The Heir'' chapter of ''VideoGame/MurderInTheAlps'', Aldo Molinelli, the president of the wealthy Molinelli Industries, is murdered by Osvald Bernstein, the company's longtime employee and a friend of both the Molinellis and the protagonist Anna Myers. Anna discovers Osvald to be Aldo's cousin through Aldo's estranged aunt who was disinherited for marrying against her father's will. In addition to murdering Aldo, Osvald tricks his dying uncle, Aldo's father, to sign a will that will give him ownership over Molinelli Industries since Osvald is the only living blood relative of Aldo's father. If not for Anna, he'd have gotten away with his crimes and framed an innocent person for the murder.

* The Hooded Claw, CardCarryingVillain from Creator/HannaBarbera's ''WesternAnimation/ThePerilsOfPenelopePitstop'', routinely tries to terminate Penelope because his alternate identity is Sylvester Sneakly, who would be the executor to her estate. This explains why the Hooded Claw uses the ConveyorBeltODoom and similar mechanisms to dispose of his victim: it allows him to be seen elsewhere as Sneakly, thus allaying suspicion.

* In ''Manga/ShiNiAruki'', one of the theories proposed by those who believe the deaths in the Kurosu family are planned murders is this, as the first death was the elderly and rich patriarch. The detectives suspect protagonist Tokiko, since she is [[IncriminatingIndifference the only one not mourning his death]], while a reporter thinks it might be Tokiko's niece Rina. Ultimately, many of these deaths were ([[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane potentially supernatural]]) accidents, and while it is revealed in the final volume that [[spoiler:Tokiko did somewhat plan her father's death]], that wasn't motivated at all by a desire to inherit the family estate.

* At the start of ''Manga/WalkToDeath'', Tokiko Kurosu's adoptive father Tokimune is found dead under mysterious circumstances and two of her adoptive siblings die the same day. The authorities immediately suspect that the murderer might be from the family and wanted inheritance, and Sou Aoya, a reporter, proposes that theory to Tokiko after one of her other siblings and both her sisters-in-law die, suggesting that Tokiko's niece Rina is responsible. Tokiko notes that it wouldn't make sense for Rina to kill her mother and aunt, who couldn't expect the inheritance, but Aoya suggests that she did it to make sure they wouldn't get a share. [[spoiler:In the end, Rina goes missing and dies, and Miyuki, the only other remaining Kurosu, hangs herself after making Tokiko sole heiress to the estate.]]

** In ''Literature/TheHoundOfTheBaskervilles'', Holmes and Watson are both in the dark as to why Stapleton would want to murder Sir Henry and allow him to court his sister but not propose. Then Holmes sees a series of family portraits and it clicks: Stapleton is the descendant of the BlackSheep of the Baskerville family, who'd already murdered the previous tenant of Baskerville Hall and plans to inherit the property, possibly via a third person posing as the heir (and had his wife act as his sister to further ensnare Sir Henry).

** In book 2, when James Delacorte turns up dead, it's suspected that the killer did so to speed up their inheritance. Turns out that's exactly the case. [[spoiler:It's not a family member, as initially suspected, though -- it's his butler and primary heir, Nigel Truesdale.]]

** [[spoiler: The motive for Hilary [=VanBrook=]'s death in book #12 (''The Cat Who Knew a Cardinal''). The killer wanted to off him before he could change his will and disinherit his intended heir (who was merely an accomplice, but agrees to testify against the killer afterward) for dropping out of school. However, the killer acted too late, and the man's belongings and money all go to his new heir -- the Pickax school system -- instead.]]
** In book #13 (''The Cat Who Moved a Mountain''), this was the motive for [[spoiler: J.J. Hawkinfield's murder -- his daughter had him killed so she could collect her inheritance.]]
** In book #25 (''The Cat Who Brought Down the House''), this is [[spoiler: effectively why Richard "Dick" Thackeray became a killer -- first he pushed his own father to his death, and then intended to kill his aunt, who'd inherited all his father's liquid assets, after becoming her heir. Unfortunately for Dick, Thelma has already changed her will to disinherit him, and then shoots him dead for his crimes.]]
** In book #28 (''The Cat Who Dropped a Bombshell''), [[spoiler: Harvey Ledfield slips mold into the air vents of his aunt and uncle's home, triggering respiratory illnesses that eventually kill them, all to ensure he'll get their money to invest in a ski lodge he's wanting to fund. It comes out afterward that he wouldn't have gotten anything, as all their money goes to charitable groups.]]

* In ''Literature/DaddysLittleGirl'', there are rumours that Rob Westerfield was secretly the mastermind behind the attempted murder of his grandmother in a supposed burglary gone wrong; Marcus Longo speculates he wanted more money to fuel his drug habit even though Dorothy was already giving him access to a trust fund. [[spoiler:Ellie discovers evidence and a new witness that confirms Rob indeed tried this; although it's not enough to get him arrested, it convinces his grandmother and she promptly alters her will so Rob gets nothing]].

** A convoluted take on it in ''Literature/AMurderIsAnnounced'': Initially it appears that the apparent intended victim was murdered to claim a fortune she had just inherited. It is revealed in the end that the actual murderer has no intention of killing the person whose death would bring [[spoiler:her]] the inheritance immediately, but is entirely prepared -- if reluctantly -- to kill people endangering the secret that [[spoiler:the real legatee died of natural causes long ago and she's been impersonating her ever since]].

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'': In "Inqueling", it's revealed that, before her mutation, Inque gave birth to a daughter she subsequently gave up for adoption. When the two reunite in the show, [[GiveHimANormalLife Inque explains that she had grown up poor and let herself become Inque all for the money, and she wanted to give her daughter an easier life with normal parents and a large trust fund]]. When Inque reveals just how much money she has, however, her daughter tries to kill her in order to get control of her bank accounts. [[DeconstructedTrope She points out that Inque never gave her anything]] ''[[DeconstructedTrope except]]'' [[DeconstructedTrope money]], [[DeconstructedTrope so why is Inque surprised that she wants more of it]]?

* The Mexican movie ''El miedo no anda en burro'' (Fear Doesn't Ride a Donkey), starring "la India Maria," has this as its central plot. When the matriarch of a wealthy family dies, her greedy relatives kick out the titular Maria, [[EthnicMenialLabor who had been working as a maid,]] and was the matriarch's only friend, and they forced her to take the old lady's beloved little dog with her. At the will reading, the lawyer states that the [[PetHeir matriarch's estate and money will go to her dog,]] and Maria will act as its regent, [[PassedOverInheritance leaving the relatives with nothing.]] [[HilarityEnsues The rest of the movie centers on the relatives trying to scare Maria to death so that they can get hold of the dog.]]

* In the ''The Heir'' chapter of ''VideoGame/MurderInTheAlps'', Aldo Molinelli, the president of the wealthy Molinelli Industries, is murdered by Osvald Bernstein, the company's longtime employee and a friend of both the Molinellis and the protagonist Anna Myers. Anna discovers Osvald to be Aldo's cousin through Aldo's estranged aunt who was disinherited for marrying against her father's will. In addition to murdering Aldo, Osvald tricks his dying uncle, Aldo's father, to sign a will that will give him ownership over Molinelli Industries since Osvald is the only living blood relative of Aldo's father. If not for Anna, he'd have gotten away with his crimes and framed an innocent person for the murder.

* In the ''Film/TheFugitive'', after Richard Kimble escaped from the prison bus, [=U.S.=] Marshall Gerard questions the detectives who handled the investigation that got Kimble the death penalty, [[MotiveEqualsConclusiveEvidence they state that he was convicted because he was named the sole recipient of his wife's life insurance payout.]] When Gerard mentions that Kimble was already a very wealthy doctor, the detectives respond that she "was more rich."

* ''VideoGame/TheColonelsBequest'' is a notable subversion. Within an hour of Colonel Dijon announcing that everyone (apart from Laura, the player character) present at the meal who outlives him will receive an equal share of his estate, people start dying. The obvious conclusion is that somebody wants a larger slice of the estate, but it ultimately turns out that the [[spoiler:the killer had a mental breakdown about the will proving that she wasn't really her uncle's favorite as she'd always thought, and decided to restore her perceived place as his favorite relative by becoming his '''only''' relative.]]

* Its GenderFlip ''Film/DoubleJeopardy'' uses this too, with the wrongly accused wife being accused of killing her husband for his life insurance.

* This turns up in the works of Creator/DorothyLSayers as well.
** In ''[[Literature/LordPeterWimsey Unnatural Death]]'', when Agatha Dawson dies, Lord Peter immediately suspects her great-niece and heir, Mary Whittaker. [[spoiler: It turns out that the Succession Act of 1925 means that Agatha Dawson's great-niece is no longer her heir by default, and she refused to make a proper will while she was alive; thus, Mary had a very good reason to want Agatha dead before the Act took effect.]]

* Can often happen unintentionally in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'', due to [[GoodBadBugs the inheritance mechanic not being very well polished]]. Sometimes a courier will track down the player after the death of an NPC, alerting them that they've received an inheritance from them... even if you were the person who killed that NPC, and that was the only time you met them. This extends to NPCs that literally cannot be peacefully be interacted with, such hired thugs sent to kill you.

** In ''Literature/PerilAtEndHouse'', it gets complicated. A woman tells Poirot that she was secretly engaged to a rich guy who just died, and it seems that one of her own heirs is trying to kill her to get the money he left her. Later, when she's [[FakingTheDead pretending to be dead]], someone who wasn't a prime suspect [[ForgingTheWill Forges the Will]], drawing suspicion on themselves... but actually, opportunistic forgery is all they're guilty of. ''Then'' it turns out that the alleged victim was faking the whole thing as cover for murdering and impersonating her same-named cousin, who is the real heir of the dead guy's money, not her. In other words, someone is pretending to be subject to this trope in order to carry it out themselves.