| 1 | %% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1452266899092104700 |
| 2 | %% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread. |
| 3 | %% |
| 4 | [[quoteright:350:[[Manga/CaseClosed https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/detective_conan.jpg]]]] |
| 5 | [[caption-width-right:350:We're on the case!]] |
| 6 | |
| 7 | ->''"Nothing's more destructive to the metaphysical fabric that binds us than the untimely murder of a human."'' |
| 8 | -->-- ''Film/MinorityReport'' |
| 9 | |
| 10 | Tropes relating to that most heinous crime. |
| 11 | ---- |
| 12 | !!Tropes: |
| 13 | [[index]] |
| 14 | [floatboxright: |
| 15 | '''UsefulNotes:''' |
| 16 | * UsefulNotes/ThreeDegreesOfMurder |
| 17 | ] |
| 18 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 19 | |
| 20 | [[folder:'''Categories and indexes''']] |
| 21 | * AdultFear: Tropes related to realistic fears an adult could have. |
| 22 | * DisposingOfABody: Hiding or destroying a murder victim's corpse to avoid getting in trouble for killing them. |
| 23 | * GenocideTropes: The organized mass-murder of a very large group or entire category of people, often committed as state-sanctioned atrocities executed by governments and military forces. |
| 24 | * HumanSacrifice: Killing people as part of a [[OfferingsToTheGods religious ritual for honoring their deity]]. |
| 25 | * ImAHumanitarian: Human cannibalism, in which people eat the flesh of their fellow man. Not always related to murder, but human meat as food is often acquired after killing someone first. |
| 26 | * LoveSacrificedForPower: A HumanSacrifice that requires the use of someone that one has a close relationship to. |
| 27 | * MurderBySuicide: Forced suicide, or coercing people into killing themselves by various means. |
| 28 | * MurderInTheFamily: Familicide, which is when people kill their own family members or other relatives. It's obviously the deadliest form of domestic violence. |
| 29 | * PublicExecution: Killing someone who's being held in captivity. Can refer to both hostages getting murdered by criminal kidnappers (which is obviously illegal) and state-sanctioned killings of convicted prisoners as capital punishment for their crimes (a controversial practice which has been abolished in many, but not all, countries). |
| 30 | [[/folder]] |
| 31 | |
| 32 | [[folder:General/miscellaneous tropes]] |
| 33 | * AnyLastWords: Someone who is about to be killed is asked if they have any last words. They use the opportunity to turn the tables on the person who was about to kill them. |
| 34 | * AssassinationAttempt: When someone tries to kill a particular targeted person (usually an (in)famously notorious individual), and they may or may not succeed in doing so. |
| 35 | * AssassinOutclassin: An assassination attempt ends up failing or getting foiled. |
| 36 | * BodyCountCompetition: Two or more people compete to see who can kill the most people. |
| 37 | * ConceiveAndKill: A woman becomes pregnant and then kills her mate, often in the act of copulation. |
| 38 | * ConspicuouslyPublicAssassination: When an assassination is done in view of many witnesses. |
| 39 | * ConversationCasualty: Killing someone while talking to them. |
| 40 | * CradlingYourKill: The killer holds their victim's body in their arms. |
| 41 | * DeadlyEuphemism |
| 42 | * DeadlyPrank |
| 43 | * DeadSerious: Showing how serious a threat the villain is by having them kill someone the audience cares about. |
| 44 | * DramaticSpineInjury: Someone's killed by getting their back broken. |
| 45 | * FailureToSaveMurder: Someone is blamed for a death they were unable to prevent. |
| 46 | * FakeAssassination: Killing the target was never the real intent of the crime, that was just a ruse for some other scheme. |
| 47 | * HandOfDeath: Only the killer's hand is seen prior to the reveal of their identity. |
| 48 | * HowWouldYouLikeToDie: The murderer asks the victim how they'd want to die. |
| 49 | * IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim: The hero is dissuaded from finishing off a defeated villain because it will sink them down to their level. |
| 50 | * IllKillYou: An explicit death threat. |
| 51 | * ImpliedDeathThreat: Indirectly threatening to kill someone. |
| 52 | * KillHimAlready: Impatiently demanding someone's death. |
| 53 | * KillingIntent |
| 54 | * KillOnSight: Declaring that someone has been targeted for violent death. |
| 55 | * KillSteal: Killing something just when somebody else was going to do the same. |
| 56 | * KillTally: Someone keeps score of how many lives they've taken. |
| 57 | * KillTheParentRaiseTheChild: A character looks after the child of someone they killed. |
| 58 | * KinslayingIsASpecialKindOfEvil: [[MurderInTheFamily Familicide]] is considered to be an especially wicked kind of crime, due to being perhaps the worst way someone can betray their own family. |
| 59 | * LeaveNoSurvivors: A massacre where nobody present is allowed to be left alive. |
| 60 | * LightsOffSomebodyDies: The lights go out and when they come back on, someone has been murdered. |
| 61 | * MakeSureHesDead: The villain insists that they look for a body in the event that it's hard to tell if the victim died or not. |
| 62 | * MurderSuicide: Killing another person before killing oneself. |
| 63 | * MutualKill: Two people end up killing each other near-simultaneously. |
| 64 | * NeverOneMurder: If one murder is committed, then there's a good chance there'll be more before the story ends. |
| 65 | * OverTheShoulderMurderShot: The murderer is found crouched over their victim before looking over their shoulder, initially obscuring the crime and/or the perpetrator. |
| 66 | * PaterFamilicide: Killing one's whole family, including [[TilMurderDoUsPart spouse]] and [[OffingTheOffspring kids]], usually followed by [[MurderSuicide oneself]]. |
| 67 | * PrepareToDie: When applied to murderers, they will let their victim know they're about to kill them. |
| 68 | * PrestigePeril: Gaining a lofty position has the downside that any screw-up will result in you getting killed. |
| 69 | * SuicideAttack: When someone simultaneously kills both themself and another person, usually accomplished with explosives. |
| 70 | * TakeMeOutAtTheBallgame: Killing someone at a sports event. |
| 71 | * TakingYouWithMe: A person who gets killed makes it so that their killer dies with them. |
| 72 | * TheseGlovesAreMadeForKillin: When someone puts on gloves or wears them to ensure the murder will not be traced back to them. |
| 73 | * TrialByFriendlyFire: The only way to kill the enemy is by shooting through your friend. |
| 74 | * WhyWontYouDie: A character tries to kill someone, only to exasperatedly demand to know why their would-be victim keeps surviving every attempt at doing them in. |
| 75 | * WouldYouLikeToHearHowTheyDied: A villain describes how they killed a hero's loved ones with every gory little detail about it. |
| 76 | * YouKillItYouBoughtIt: When you kill someone, you have to take up their title or responsibility. |
| 77 | [[/folder]] |
| 78 | |
| 79 | [[folder:Accident, murder, or suicide?]] |
| 80 | * AccidentalChildKillerBackstory: Someone who unintentionally caused a child's death in the past still carries the burden into the present. |
| 81 | * AccidentalMurder: When someone unintentionally kills another person. |
| 82 | * AccidentNotMurder: Freaky circumstances cause an accidental death to appear to be a murder. |
| 83 | * BetterToDieThanBeKilled: Someone commits suicide just to deny giving their enemies any opportunity to murder them. |
| 84 | * TheCoronerDothProtestTooMuch: A murder is dubiously covered up by claiming that the death happened because of accident, suicide, or natural causes. |
| 85 | * TheDeadGuyDidIt: A murder investigation leads to the revelation that the killer was none other than the victim. |
| 86 | * HuntingAccident: Taking someone along for a hunting trip just to "accidentally" shoot them. |
| 87 | * IDidntMeanToKillHim: When the guilty party claims (honestly or not) that the murder was accidental. |
| 88 | * MakeItLookLikeAnAccident: A murder is covered up by making it look like an accidental death. |
| 89 | * MurderByMistake: When someone ends up killing the ''wrong'' person, instead of their ''intended'' victim. |
| 90 | * NeverSuicide: A murder victim's demise is covered up by making it look like a suicide. |
| 91 | * ObfuscatingPostmortemWounds: Additional wounds are inflicted upon a corpse to mask the true cause of death. |
| 92 | * OrderedToDie: Someone is forced to commit suicide on someone else's command. |
| 93 | * SuicidalSadisticChoice: Forcing someone into killing themself by threatening to do something worse to them. |
| 94 | * SuicideByAssassin: Someone hires another person to get ''themself'' killed. |
| 95 | * SuicideByCop: Someone intentionally provokes another person into killing them. |
| 96 | * SuicideNotMurder: A suicide victim is mistaken for having been murdered. |
| 97 | * ThisBearWasFramed: Disguising a murder as an animal attack. |
| 98 | [[/folder]] |
| 99 | |
| 100 | [[folder:Murder methods and weapons]] |
| 101 | * AndShowItToYou: Killing someone by removing their heart and showing it to them. |
| 102 | * AnimalAssassin: Using a deadly animal (especially a venomous creature) as a murder weapon. |
| 103 | * AppeaseTheVolcanoGod: A HumanSacrifice ritual in which the victim gets thrown into an active or dormant volcano. |
| 104 | * AttackOnTheHeart: Killing someone by directly inflicting damage to the heart. |
| 105 | * BitterAlmonds: Cyanide poisoning leaves the telltale scent of bitter almonds. |
| 106 | * BludgeonedToDeath: Killing someone by fatally beating them with a blunt object. |
| 107 | * BoomHeadshot: Killing someone by firing a single bullet through their brain. |
| 108 | * CementShoes: When a (live or dead) victim gets tied down with blocks of concrete so that their body will sink down after being thrown into a body of water. |
| 109 | * ChainsawGood: Using a buzzsaw or chainsaw to cut people to bits. |
| 110 | * ChuteSabotage: Killing a skydiver by damaging their parachute. |
| 111 | * CookedToDeath: Killing someone by baking, boiling, frying, grilling, or roasting them with kitchen equipment. |
| 112 | * CoupDeGrace: The final blow that kills, often done to finish off a defeated opponent at the end of a fight. |
| 113 | * CruelAndUnusualDeath: Torturing and killing someone in a very painful and gruesome way. |
| 114 | * DangerouslyCloseShave: When a man gets killed with a straight razor under the guise of shaving his beard. |
| 115 | * DeadlyDelivery: An assassin poses as a postal worker so they can personally meet their target to kill them. |
| 116 | * DeadlyGame: An unusually violent contest in which players are required to survive lethal situations to achieve victory. |
| 117 | * DeadlyRemoteControlToy: Remote-controlled toys as murder weapons. |
| 118 | * DeathByFallingOver: A push turns fatal. |
| 119 | * DeathFlight: Throwing people out of an aircraft, sending them falling to their doom. |
| 120 | * DeathInTheClouds: Murder onboard an aircraft. |
| 121 | * DeathMarch: Prisoners are forced by their captors to travel on foot in lethally harsh conditions, leaving few or no survivors. |
| 122 | * DeathTrap: An improvised weapon designed to kill anyone who triggers the mechanism and gets trapped by it. |
| 123 | * DemandingTheirHead: Ordering to have someone killed with their severed head returned, usually for a bounty. |
| 124 | * DrowningPit: Trapping people in a room or chamber that's being slowly flooded with water. |
| 125 | * ElectrifiedBathtub: Killing someone by dropping active electronics into a bathtub filled with water. |
| 126 | * ExternalCombustion: A classic assassination/terrorist tactic in which an explosive device hidden in a motor vehicle is used to kill anyone inside or nearby it. |
| 127 | * FedToPigs: [[DisposingOfABody Getting rid of a murder victim's body]] by throwing them over to a pen full of [[GluttonousPig hungry pigs]]. Sometimes, the victim ''[[EatenAlive may not even be dead yet]]'' when the hogs start devouring them. |
| 128 | * FedToTheBeast: Killing someone by handing them over to a [[ToServeMan man-eating animal or monster]] to be [[EatenAlive devoured alive by the hungry creature]]. |
| 129 | * FlayingAlive: Skinning someone while they are still alive, which often proves fatal. |
| 130 | * FrightDeathtrap: Intentionally scaring someone to death. |
| 131 | * GanglandDriveBy: Drive-by shootings are an assassination method favored by gangsters, in which gunmen riding in a motor vehicle pull up and spray bullets at their enemies before making a quick getaway. |
| 132 | * GasolineDousing: Killing someone by pouring flammable liquids on their body and then igniting them. |
| 133 | * GladiatorGames: Forcing people to engage in mortal combat as some sort of twisted spectator sport. |
| 134 | * GottaKillThemAll: Murdering everyone named in a hit list. |
| 135 | * GuttedLikeAFish: Killing someone through disembowelment. |
| 136 | * HangingAround: Killing someone by hanging them with a rope (noose) tied around their neck, causing death by [[SinisterSuffocation asphyxiation]] or [[NeckSnap breaking their neck vertebrae]]. |
| 137 | * HeadCrushing: Squashing someone's head like a watermelon. |
| 138 | * HighVoltageDeath: Killing someone by electrocuting them. |
| 139 | * InnOfNoReturn: A [[HellHotel shady hotel]] where guests have a worrisome tendency to never check out alive. |
| 140 | * KillItWithFire: Using fire or burning heat as a weapon to kill people. |
| 141 | * KillItWithIce: Using ice or freezing cold as a weapon to kill people. |
| 142 | * KillItWithWater: Using water as a weapon to kill people (mostly by drowning them). |
| 143 | * LetterboxArson: Killing someone by pouring flammable liquids through their house's mail slot and subsequently trapping them in a HouseFire. |
| 144 | * LiterallyShatteredLives: Someone who was [[HarmlessFreezing frozen alive]] into a HumanPopsicle is killed by being broken like glass into tiny little pieces. |
| 145 | * MacheteMayhem: Using a big, long blade that's not exactly a knife or a sword to kill people. |
| 146 | * MedicationTampering: Tampering with someone's medication, often with lethal intent. |
| 147 | * MoeGreeneSpecial: Killing someone by shooting them through the eye. |
| 148 | * MultipleGunshotDeath: Someone gets killed by being riddled with many bullets. |
| 149 | * MurderByCremation: Shoving a live person into a (kitchen or crematory) oven to burn them to death. |
| 150 | * MurderByInaction: Killing someone indirectly by refusing to save their life. |
| 151 | * MurderByRemoteControlVehicle: Killing someone by remotely hijacking their vehicle and making it crash. |
| 152 | * NeckSnap: Killing someone by twisting their neck hard enough to sever their spinal cord. |
| 153 | * NotSoFakePropWeapon: A real weapon disguised as a fake imitation is used to kill somebody. |
| 154 | * OffWithHisHead: Killing someone by chopping off their head with a very sharp blade cut through the neck. Sometimes done posthumously to someone killed by another method. |
| 155 | * OneHitKill: Instantly killing somebody with just one single attack. |
| 156 | * OneHitPolykill: Killing multiple people at once with a single hit, usually by firing a bullet that passes through all of their bodies. |
| 157 | * PoisonIsEvil: Killing someone with the use of a highly toxic chemical substance. |
| 158 | * PsychicAssistedSuicide: Using MindControl to force someone to kill themself. |
| 159 | * RiddledAndRattled: Pumped full of lead by a machine gun or multiple guns. |
| 160 | * RubeGoldbergHatesYourGuts: A RubeGoldbergDevice is used as a death trap. |
| 161 | * SaunaOfDeath: Trapping someone in a sauna or steam room to kill them via dehydration/heat-stroke. |
| 162 | * SeveredHeadSports: Adding further insult to injury by throwing or kicking your enemy's head around for an improvised ball game. |
| 163 | * SickbedSlaying: Killing someone lying in bed from illness or injury. |
| 164 | * SinisterSuffocation: Murder by choking or strangulation. |
| 165 | * SlainInTheirSleep: Killing someone while they're asleep in bed. |
| 166 | * SlashedThroat: Killing someone by cutting their neck open with a blade, though without going for a full-on [[OffWithHisHead decapitation]]. |
| 167 | * TaintedTobacco: Poisoning someone's smoking materials. |
| 168 | * TornApartByTheMob: Someone gets brutally lynched by an [[TorchesAndPitchforks angry mob]]. |
| 169 | * TouchOfDeath: A single touch causes death. |
| 170 | * TrickedToDeath: Intentionally deceiving or misleading someone into getting themself killed. |
| 171 | * TroubleMagnetGambit: Giving a target an object that is harmless in itself, but will attract lethal attention. |
| 172 | * UriahGambit: Sending a troublesome subordinate out to die in battle. |
| 173 | * VehicularSabotage: Sabotaging a motor vehicle. Can be lethal if you damage the brakes or steering. |
| 174 | * VorpalPillow: Killing someone by smothering them with a pillow. |
| 175 | * WeaponOfMassDestruction |
| 176 | * WhatADrag: Torturing or killing someone by dragging them around. |
| 177 | * YouAreAlreadyDead: An attack's effects take a little while to kill the victim. |
| 178 | * YouGotMurder: The postal service itself is used to facilitate a murder attempt (such as by sending a mail bomb to the target). |
| 179 | * YourHeadASplode: Killing somebody by making their head burst or blow up. |
| 180 | [[/folder]] |
| 181 | |
| 182 | [[folder:Motives for murder]] |
| 183 | * AdaptationalSelfDefense: When a (morally questionable) homicide in the original version of the story is made to look more unambiguously justified in an adaptation. |
| 184 | * AssassinsAreAlwaysBetrayed: After a hitman has done their job ([[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness successfully]] or [[YouHaveFailedMe not]]), they get killed by their boss/client to [[HeKnowsTooMuch ensure their silence]]. |
| 185 | * BetterToKillThanFrighten: Killing someone is more effective than merely scaring them for a particular goal. |
| 186 | * BoardToDeath: A villain gathers his accomplices at a meeting so that he can kill them. |
| 187 | * ColdEquation: Considering murder so that others can live longer. |
| 188 | * ContractOnTheHitman: When a contract killer gets marked as an assassination target for other hitmen to claim and cash in on. |
| 189 | * CrimeOfSelfDefense: Someone might still be arrested and prosecuted for a defensive killing, even if it was completely justified. |
| 190 | * ADeadlyAffair: An extramarital affair ends in the murder of one or more parties involved. |
| 191 | * DeadlyGraduation: To pass the test, you must kill your partner. |
| 192 | * DeadlyHazing: Someone dies during an InitiationCeremony. |
| 193 | * DeathByMocking: Killing someone for making fun of you. |
| 194 | * DeathByWomanScorned: Committing murder as revenge against a cheating spouse. |
| 195 | * DivorceRequiresDeath: Someone ends their marriage by killing their spouse. |
| 196 | * DoNotTauntCthulhu: A very powerful being kills a much weaker individual who dared to offend them. |
| 197 | * DuelToTheDeath: When two individuals fight and try to kill each other in mortal combat, usually to resolve disputes over personal honor. |
| 198 | * FinalSolution: A genocidal plot to exterminate an entire category of people, especially an extremely marginalized ethnic group. |
| 199 | * ForcedEuthanasia: When the murderer performs what they believe is a MercyKill even though the recipient clearly wants to live. |
| 200 | * GainingTheWillToKill: The act of deciding that a murder is necessary. |
| 201 | * HeKnowsTooMuch: Killing someone because they have learned a dangerous secret they can't be allowed to know (or which they possibly plan to share with other people). |
| 202 | * HighOnHomicide: The killer gets some kind of natural high from having killed someone. |
| 203 | * HomophobicHateCrime: A violent attack motivated by anti-gay hatred, which may sometimes result in the victim's death. |
| 204 | * HonorRelatedAbuse: A form of domestic abuse which may sometimes result in honor killings. |
| 205 | * HuntingTheMostDangerousGame: Someone hunts other humans for sport, killing them like they were wild game animals. |
| 206 | * IdTellYouButThenIdHaveToKillYou: Someone claims (jokingly or not) that another person isn't allowed to learn something confidential under the threat of death. |
| 207 | * IfICantHaveYou: Someone tries to murder someone for leaving them or rejecting them romantically. |
| 208 | * InheritanceMurder: Killing someone in order to collect their inheritance. |
| 209 | * InsuranceMotivatedMurder: Killing someone for their life insurance policy. |
| 210 | * InvoluntaryBattleToTheDeath: Forcing people to fight and kill each other in mortal combat. |
| 211 | * KillAndReplace: Killing someone to impersonate them. |
| 212 | * KilledToUpholdTheMasquerade: Someone is killed to prevent them from exposing [[TheMasquerade the hidden existence of the supernatural]]. |
| 213 | * KillingInSelfDefense: The act of killing an aggressive attacker to protect your own life and safety. Technically not a murder (illegal) but still an act of (justifiable) homicide. |
| 214 | * LeaveNoWitnesses: Someone tries to avoid getting punished for their crimes by killing everyone who's seen them do the crimes. |
| 215 | * LooksWorthKillingFor: A character is so desperate to stay beautiful that they're willing to kill. |
| 216 | * MercyKill: Killing someone to spare them from a much more painful and prolonged death (or a [[FateWorseThanDeath worse fate]]). |
| 217 | * MurderIsTheBestSolution: Someone's knee-jerk solution to any problem they may face is to kill the people troubling them. |
| 218 | * MurderTheHypotenuse: Someone tries to get together with the person they love by murdering the individual their beloved has chosen to be with. |
| 219 | * NastyParty: A social gathering organized with the intention of killing someone. |
| 220 | * OffingTheAnnoyance: Killing someone [[DisproportionateRetribution just for being annoying]]. |
| 221 | * OffingTheMouth: Killing someone for [[DeadpanSnarker making a snarky remark]]. |
| 222 | * PleaseShootTheMessenger: A messenger unknowingly delivers a message that tells the recipient to kill them. |
| 223 | * PriceOnTheirHead: All {{professional killer}}s are motivated to receive a great monetary reward in exchange for eliminating a specifically targeted individual. |
| 224 | * ThePurge: When a faction or organization tries to kill off all members suspected of disloyalty. |
| 225 | * RapePillageAndBurn: [[SociopathicSoldier Ruthless soldiers]] attack a city or town and go on a merciless rampage of mass rape, robbery and murder against the unarmed civilians who live there. |
| 226 | * RewardedAsATraitorDeserves: A traitor is killed by the enemy they were working for, who may have good reason to not trust somebody who already backstabbed their own side. |
| 227 | * SelfDefenseRuse: Pretending you simply had to kill someone to "defend" yourself, which of course is actually just plain murder. |
| 228 | * SerialKillingsSpecificTarget: A murderer only really wants to kill a specific individual, but they try to hide their motives by murdering several other random people to make it look like the work of a {{Serial|Killer}}/SpreeKiller. |
| 229 | * ShootTheDangerousMinion: The villain kills their most competent minion because they could pose a threat to them. |
| 230 | * ShootTheMessenger: Killing a messenger [[DisproportionateRetribution just because they dared to inform you of bad news]]. |
| 231 | * TargetedHumanSacrifice: A HumanSacrifice ritual necessitates that a specific type of individual must be chosen as the victim. |
| 232 | * ThrownFromTheZeppelin: Disposing of an objector immediately and in such a way as to quash further objection. |
| 233 | * VanHelsingHateCrimes: If a [[HunterOfMonsters monster hunter]] goes too far and tries to kill [[BenevolentMonsters innocent monsters]] who were never actually hurting anyone else. |
| 234 | * VigilanteExecution: Killing someone accused of a crime without the permission of the judicial system, which of course is an illegal homicide. |
| 235 | * VirginSacrifice: When the victim (usually a young woman or girl) is required to have [[VirginPower never had sex before]]. |
| 236 | * YouHaveFailedMe: The villain kills an underling as punishment for failing them too often or too severely. |
| 237 | * YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: The villain kills an underling after they've done what they were ordered to do. |
| 238 | * YouKilledMyFather: Someone wants revenge for the murder of their loved one. As you may have guessed, this often means trying to kill their loved one's killer. |
| 239 | [[/folder]] |
| 240 | |
| 241 | [[folder:Killers and murderers]] |
| 242 | * AnonymousKillerNarrator: Some sections of a story are written from a murderers' POV, though without giving away their identity. |
| 243 | * AxCrazy: A person who is both mentally unstable and violent; very likely to commit murders. |
| 244 | * BlackWidow: A woman who kills her own husband (mariticide). |
| 245 | * BleedEmAndWeep: Someone cries after killing someone. |
| 246 | * BloodbathVillainOrigin: The villain's backstory involves them committing a massacre. |
| 247 | * TheBluebeard: A man who kills his own wife (uxoricide). |
| 248 | * CarnivalOfKillers: A wide assortment of assassins, usually attracted by an open contract on someone's hide. |
| 249 | * ChildrenForcedToKill: Kids are coerced into committing murder. This typically happens to ChildSoldiers. |
| 250 | * ColdSniper: Many assassins favor {{sniper rifle}}s for taking out their targets from a distance. |
| 251 | * CopKiller: Someone who has killed a police officer. |
| 252 | * GoingPostal: A disgruntled postal worker goes crazy and will likely start killing people. |
| 253 | * HeroKiller: The villain has successfully killed at least one hero who tried to stop them. |
| 254 | * HitmanWithAHeart: A [[AffablyEvil friendly]] or [[AntiVillain sympathetic]] assassin. |
| 255 | * HolyHitman: An assassin who is [[ChurchgoingVillain devoutly religious]] despite their sins of murder. |
| 256 | * ImmortalAssassin: An [[{{Immortality}} undying]] hitman. |
| 257 | * IndirectSerialKiller: A SerialKiller who prefers to manipulate others to kill for them. |
| 258 | * InexperiencedKiller: Someone who has little to no experience in killing and has never actually killed anyone before. |
| 259 | * InternalDeathSquad: A position or unit within a larger organization tasked with tracking down and executing its own rogue or unreliable members. |
| 260 | * JackTheRipoff: A copycat killer who uses the ''modus operandi'' of another serial killer. |
| 261 | * TheKillerBecomesTheKilled: A murderer ends up murdered in turn. |
| 262 | * KillerCop: A [[DirtyCop police officer]] who has murdered people, whether as a result of PoliceBrutality or some other reason unrelated to their job. |
| 263 | * TheKingslayer: Someone who commits regicide, which is the murder of a monarch. |
| 264 | * {{Matricide}}: Killing your own mother. |
| 265 | * MurderInc: A larger gang or organization of contract killers. |
| 266 | * MurderMakesYouCrazy: Killing people isn't too good for your mental stability. |
| 267 | * MurdererPOV: A murder is depicted from the killer's perspective; their identity may or may not be concealed. |
| 268 | * MurderersAreRapists: A criminal rapes their victim before killing them. |
| 269 | * NoMercyForMurderers |
| 270 | * {{Patricide}}: Killing your own father. |
| 271 | * PersonOfMassDestruction: A person with a weapon of mass destruction-level powers, skills, or abilities. |
| 272 | * PoeticSerialKiller: They like to use an [[DeathByIrony ironic method]] against each of their victims. |
| 273 | * ProfessionalKiller: Also known as a hitman, assassin, or contract killer. They make a living by [[PriceOnTheirHead murdering other people for a paycheck]]. |
| 274 | * PsychoKnifeNut: When applied to psychotic murderers, who may favor using a knife to do the deed. |
| 275 | * ARealManIsAKiller: Taking a life to prove one's masculinity. |
| 276 | * ResurrectedMurderer: Sometimes killers don't stay dead. |
| 277 | * SelfMadeOrphan: Someone kills their own parents. |
| 278 | * SerialKiller: A murderer who gradually kills a series of individual people, one after another. |
| 279 | * SerialKillerKiller: A ({{vigilante|Man}}) serial killer who [[HunterOfHisOwnKind targets other murderers]]. |
| 280 | * SpreeKiller: A mass-murderer who kills multiple people during a (relatively) short rampage. |
| 281 | * StockSlasher: The stereotypical SlasherMovie villain, a homicidal maniac who kills off most of the cast through various gory ways. |
| 282 | * StrangersOnATrainPlotMurder: Two people who wish to kill someone swap victims. |
| 283 | * SympatheticMurderBackstory: A person's DarkAndTroubledPast involves them being a sympathetic killer. |
| 284 | * SympatheticMurderer: A killer has a sympathetic motive for their crime (such as getting revenge on someone who seriously wronged them). |
| 285 | * TeamKiller: A treacherous member of a group murders their own comrades. |
| 286 | * TerminallyIllCriminal: A character commits a serious crime, often murder, after learning they have a fatal disease. |
| 287 | * ThemeSerialKiller: This murderer has a predictable gimmick as part of their ''modus operandi''. |
| 288 | * TheseHandsHaveKilled: Someone looks down at his hands with intense shock after the first time he has killed. |
| 289 | * TilMurderDoUsPart: Someone kills their own spouse. |
| 290 | * {{Tyrannicide}}: Someone kills a [[EvilOverlord brutal tyrant]]. |
| 291 | * UnfriendlyFire: A soldier gets killed by a fellow soldier from the same army -- and it ''wasn't'' [[FriendlyFire an accidental casualty of war]]. |
| 292 | * VillainKiller: A hero known for taking out villains without mercy. |
| 293 | [[/folder]] |
| 294 | |
| 295 | [[folder:Murder victims and their bodies]] |
| 296 | * AssholeVictim: A [[HateSink loathsome]] {{jerkass}} or villain ends up getting murdered, and it's really hard to feel sympathetic to their demise. |
| 297 | * BodyInABreadbox: A corpse is found in a very unusual container. |
| 298 | * CarpetRolledCorpse: Wrapping up a dead body with a rug. |
| 299 | * ConstructiveBodyDisposal: Hiding a dead body in a man-made structure. |
| 300 | * CorpseTemperatureTampering: Interfering with the natural cooling of a dead body to obfuscate time of death. |
| 301 | * CrammingTheCoffin: Disposing of a body by hiding either in or under an occupied coffin. |
| 302 | * DeadMansChest: Stuffing a corpse into a convenient container. |
| 303 | * DisposableSexWorker: Prostitutes and strippers tend to be poor and unnoticed by most people, thus making them easy victims of murder by angry pimps, clients or {{serial killer}}s. |
| 304 | * DisposableVagrant: Most people don't really notice or care about what happens to homeless people, which makes them very easy targets for (serial) murderers. |
| 305 | * FamilyExtermination: Eliminating everyone from an entire family. |
| 306 | * {{Gendercide}}: Extermination of an entire gender/sex |
| 307 | * KillingYourAlternateSelf: Someone slays their own AlternateSelf. |
| 308 | * KillTheGod: Committing deicide, which is the murder of a deity. |
| 309 | * KillTheHostBody: Getting rid of some [[DemonicPossession body/mind-controlling entity]] by fatally wounding their victim. |
| 310 | * KillTheOnesYouLove: Killing your own loved one(s). |
| 311 | * TheMurderAfter: Waking up next to a corpse, with no idea how it got there. |
| 312 | * NotTheFirstVictim: The killer has previous victims that weren't discovered before their publicized crimes. |
| 313 | * OffingTheOffspring: Killing your own children (filicide). |
| 314 | * OneTwinMustDie: Killing one of two twin siblings for superstitious reasons. |
| 315 | * RulingFamilyMassacre: Slaughtering all members of a royal dynasty. |
| 316 | * SiblingMurder: Someone kills their own brother (fratricide) or sister (sororicide). |
| 317 | * TenLittleMurderVictims: A group of people are stuck somewhere. One of them is a killer, the rest are potential victims. |
| 318 | * TerrorAtMakeOutPoint: Teens canoodling at the local MakeOutPoint become victims of murderers or monsters. |
| 319 | * VehicleRoofBodyDisposal: Getting rid of body by placing it on top of vehicle heading out of town. |
| 320 | * WaxMuseumMorgue: A museum where the "statues" are really the preserved corpses of the owner's victims. |
| 321 | * WouldHarmASenior: Some people are willing to kill senior citizens. |
| 322 | * WouldHitAGirl: Some men are willing to kill women. |
| 323 | * WouldHurtAChild: Some adults are willing to kill children. |
| 324 | [[/folder]] |
| 325 | |
| 326 | [[folder:Investigation and prosecution]] |
| 327 | * AlwaysMurder: In police/detective shows, the vast majority of the crimes they investigate involve a dead body from a homicide. |
| 328 | * BetterManhandleTheMurderWeapon: Someone gets accused of murder because they got caught touching the murder weapon after the murder happened. |
| 329 | * BloodStainedLetter: Often a clue in a murder case, left by either the killer or their victim. |
| 330 | * BluffingTheMurderer: Tricking a killer into revealing their guilt. |
| 331 | * CopKillerManhunt: The police take the [[CopKiller killing of their own]] ''very'' seriously. |
| 332 | * TheCorpseStopsHere: A person gets accused of murder just for being near the body. |
| 333 | * FelonyMurder: Laws which deem someone's death caused by another person committing a felony crime to be first-degree murder. |
| 334 | * FoundTheKillerLostTheMurderer: Catching the trigger man, but the mastermind behind the crime escapes. |
| 335 | * LotsaPeopleTryToDunIt: It turns out that all the suspects tried to kill the victim. |
| 336 | * ManslaughterProvocation: Voluntary manslaughter, a (semi-)intentional killing that is still illegal, but not sentenced with the same severity as a full-blown murder conviction. |
| 337 | * MistakenForMurderer: A person is mistakenly believed to have killed someone or be planning to kill someone. |
| 338 | * MistakenForOwnMurderer: A disguised or transformed person is mistaken for having killed their true self. |
| 339 | * MurderDotCom: A website on the Internet that hosts videos of people getting killed. |
| 340 | * SnuffFilm: A recorded film of someone getting murdered. Obviously a very critical piece of evidence for the crime. |
| 341 | * SuspectExistenceFailure: The lead suspect of a murder gets killed by the real culprit. |
| 342 | * TeamMercyVsTeamMurder: A conflict of interest between two parties with the same goal, but one side is willing to kill to achieve it while the other believes mercy is an option. |
| 343 | * TrailOfBlood: Often left behind following a murder. |
| 344 | * WhoMurderedTheAsshole: [[AssholeVictim An unsympathetic person has been killed]], but it's hard to determine who killed them; because the victim was such a douchebag, that there's no shortage of people who despised them enough to be their possible killer. |
| 345 | * WhodunnitToMe: Someone (such as a ghost) must solve their own (attempted) murder. |
| 346 | [[/folder]] |
| 347 | |
| 348 | [[/index]] |
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