History Main / MistakenForOwnMurderer

* In the ''Series/AreYouAfraidOfTheDark'' episode "The Tale of the Hunted" downplays this. While on a hunting trip, Diana gets turned into a wolf. Her father sees her wolf self in her cabin and assumes she scared her away. Diana evades the hunting posse until the transformation wears off.

* In the ''Series/AreYouAfraidOfTheDark'' episode "The Tale of the Hunted", while on a hunting trip, Diana gets turned into a wolf. Her father sees her wolf self in her cabin and assumes she killed her. Diana evades the hunting posse until the transformation wears off.

* ''WebAnimation/ReversalOfTheHeart'' sees a Princess getting turned into a dragon as vengeance for her lover the Prince killing the child of a mother dragon. Upon hearing [[StumblingInTheNewForm the commotion resulting from the sudden transformation]], the Prince sees a dragon stumbling among the tattered clothes and smashed furniture of his beloved and assumes the worst. He spends the rest of the short on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge against the "dragon".

* ''WebAnimation/ReversalOfTheHeart'' sees a Princess getting turned into a dragon as vengeance for her lover the Prince killing the child of a mother dragon. Upon hearing the commotion resulting from the sudden transformation, the Prince sees a dragon stumbling among the tattered clothes and smashed furniture of his beloved and assumes the worst. He spends the rest of the short on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge against the "dragon".

* In the ''Literature/MarthaSpeaks'' sequel ''Martha Calling'', the eponymous TalkingDog wins a stay at a luxury hotel, but has to disguise herself as a human because of the "No pets allowed" policy. When she ditches her disguise to feast on a giant turkey she ordered via room service, a maid happens to walk in and panics at the sight of a dog with a BalloonBelly surrounded by meat, bones and discarded human clothes.

'''Fry:''' Close. ''(pulls down the hoods to reveal they're both purple-haired cyclopes)''\\
'''Leela:''' They... are my parents.
-->-- ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', "Leela's Homeworld"

* ''ComicBook/TheBatmanAdventures'': [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]]. In Issue #8, Summer Gleeson is supposed to have a date with a man who, unbeknownst to her, was Clayface under a disguise but arrives on time to see Clayface being arrested and wonders what happened to her date.

* In ''ComicBook/SwampThing'', government agent Matthew Cable, encountering the title character for the first time, believes that he's Alec Holland's murderer. Eventually the Swamp Thing manages to convince him that he is Holland [[spoiler: or so he and everyone assumes prior to the Alan Moore retcon.]]
* The Bronze Age ''ComicBook/HouseOfMystery'' story from issue #254, "The Curse Of The Sea Monkey" is about a bitter, greedy man whose luck turns when he discovers a [[OurMermaidsAreDifferent "Sea Monkey"]] that he ruthlessly exploits for riches. The creature eventually dies from his mistreatment, but not before he utters a curse on his captor that will show everyone what he really is. One day, the man's fishing boat is hit by a freak storm and he falls overboard where [[KarmicTransformation he transforms into a hideous octopus/crustacean sea monster]] that even the sharks are afraid of. He's captured by his crew, who believe the creature ate their captain and sold to an aquarium. His wife and son visit, also believing this monster ate their dad/husband. The final panel shows the former human sea-monster desperately ramming his claws against his tank as his family walks away. Even if the guy was a cruel, greedy AssholeVictim, [[TearJerker it's an incredibly sad sight]].

[[folder:Film — Animated]]

[[folder:Film — Live-Action]]

* In both the film and the original novel ''Film/ThePrincessBride'' Buttercup believes that the Dread Pirate Roberts killed Westley. Only when he tumbles down the hill shouting [[SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay "As... you... wish..."]] does she realize that he ''[[LegacyCharacter is]]'' Westley.

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': In "A New Man" Giles has been transformed into a Fyarl demon which is thought by the gang to have killed Giles.
-->'''Buffy:''' ''(stabbing Demon Giles)'' This is for Giles!\\
'''Giles:''' ''(in demon language, which only Spike understands)'' For me?

* ''[[Series/TheIncredibleHulk1977 The Incredible Hulk]]'' is suspected in the death of David Banner, because no one knows Banner's secret.

* An episode of ''Series/TalesFromTheCrypt'' has a man working with his coroner brother to fake his death for a huge insurance payout. After getting plastic surgery, he waits at an island for his wife to join him with the payout. When she fails to, he flies back home to discover she's now married to his brother and they're both living large off the settlement. The man calls the cops to turn them in for fraud only to discover the surgery is so good and the fake murder done so well that they don't believe he's really him. In fact, they're convinced the only way he could know so much is if he's the killer so the man ends up arrested, tried, convicted and ''sent to the electric chair'' for his own murder with his last words being telling everyone who he really is!

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'', Donkey thinks an ogress ate Fiona after he finds one in her room. She calms him down enough to tell him that it's her curse.

* ''On The Loose'' from ''Sweet's Clothing'', a ''WebAnimation/SpookyMonth'' fanfic series, has Radford walk in just after Kevin has transformed into a werewolf during work. When the beast escapes, Radford snaps out of his StunnedSilence to tell an approaching Streber that a "dog of some sort" ate Kevin. Thankfully, Streber (having known about Kevin's lycanthropy since high school) knows what really happened and explains the real situation to Radford before any action is taken.

A subtrope of MistakenIdentity. See also GuiltByCoincidence, MistakenForMurderer, and HydeAndSeek. Contrast TomatoInTheMirror and KillAndReplace.

Maybe TheHero is undercover to avoid a FrameUp. Maybe they touched the wrong artifact and became a BalefulPolymorph. The point is, they're looking different, often monstrous. Then someone (often their loved ones, for [[PlayedForDrama dramatic impact]]) catches them with their personal effects. [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge Uh oh.]] Our hero has just been Mistaken for Own Murderer. Now they have to correct the mistake, and fast, before the people who made the mistake kill them in retribution for their "murder".

* ''Series/ColonelMarchOfScotlandYard'': In "The Strange Event at Roman Falls", the wife of famous reclusive writer is accused of his murder after she reports him falling off the cliff near their home into the sea. However, it turns out the writer never existed at all. He was a MoustacheDePlume created by the woman to allow her to publish her works and be taken seriously. However, after an old romance rekindled, she decided to fake the death of the fake husband to allow her to marry her love.

Maybe TheHero is undercover to avoid a FrameUp. Maybe they touched the wrong artifact and became a BalefulPolymorph. The point is, they're looking different, often monstrous. Then someone (often their loved ones, for [[PlayedForDrama dramatic impact]]) catch them with their personal effects. [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge Uh oh.]] Our hero has just been Mistaken for Own Murderer. Now they have to correct the mistake, and fast, before the people who made the mistake kill them in retribution for their "murder".

A subtrope of MistakenIdentity. See also GuiltByCoincidence and MistakenForMurderer. Contrast TomatoInTheMirror and KillAndReplace.

* In the ''ComicBook/DoctorWhoTitan'' Ninth Doctor story "The Transformed", some superpowered teens think that alien gargoyle-like creatures are killing and disappearing them. In fact, the condition that gave them the superpowers causes them to mutate into the gargoyles.
* ComicBook/IronMan used to be known for body guarding Tony Stark. On an occasion where he couldn't take off the suit, Stark's disappearance made people suspect Iron Man.

* ''WebAnimation/ReversalOfTheHeart'' sees a Princess getting turned into a dragon as vengeance for her lover the Prince killing the child of a mother dragon. Upon hearing the commotion resulting from the sudden transformation, the Prince sees a dragon stumbling among the tattered clothes and smashed furniture of his beloved and assumes the worst. He spends the rest of the short on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge against the "dragon."

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->'''Leela''': They killed my parents! \\
'''Fry''': Close. ''(pulls down the hoods to reveal they're both purple-haired cyclopes)''\\
'''Leela''': They... are my parents.

* In ''WesternAnimation/Ben10DestroyAllAliens'', [[spoiler: a Galvanic Mechamorph goes on a {{Roaring Rampage of Revenge}} against a Tok'ustar whom he believes killed his son Azmuth. However, it is revealed in the end that the Tok'ustar ''is'' Azmuth because of a glitch in the Omnitrix.]]

-->'''Kuzco''': No, wait! I'm the emperor! It's me, Kuzco!... [[CassandraTruth They're not listening]]!

* In both the film and the original novel ''Film/ThePrincessBride'' Buttercup believes that the Dread Pirate Roberts killed Westley. Only when he tumbles down the hill shouting [[SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay "As...you...wish..."]] does she realize that he ''[[LegacyCharacter is]]'' Westley.

-->'''Buffy''': ''(stabbing Demon Giles)'' This is for Giles!\\
'''Giles''': ''(in demon language, which only Spike understands)'' For me?

-->'''The creature is wanted for a murder he didn't commit. David Banner is believed to be dead and he must let the world think that he is dead until he can find a way to control the raging spirit that dwells within him'''

-->'''Boy''': Aah! That's the monster that ate that kid!

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/SuperRobotMonkeyTeamHyperForceGo'' has Chiro turned into a monster by some truckstop owners as part of a sideshow exhibit. When he comes across the monkeys, they misinterpid his pantomiming to mean that he ate Chiro.

A subtrope of MistakenIdentity. See also GuiltByCoincidence. Contrast TomatoInTheMirror and KillAndReplace.

* ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' features a justified example of this (considering the MotivationalLie Luke was told about Darth Vader killing his father), resulting in the original LukeIAmYourFather reveal. Played with in that, to some extent, Vader [[ThatManIsDead thinks of Anakin as a different person who died]].

* ''Creator/CarlHiaasen'' novel ''Bad Monkey'' features the main character investigating the mysterious disappearance of a Medicare fraudster, believing that his wife and her mysterious new boyfriend killed him for the insurance money. Then, it turns out that the new boyfriend ''is'' her husband in an assumed identity and they [[FakingTheDead faked his death]] in order to collect the insurance money and escape a police investigation.

-->'''Buffy''': ''(stabbing Demon!Giles)'' This is for Giles!\\

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' episode "[[Recap/FuturamaS4E2LeelasHomeworld Leela's Homeworld]]", Leela thinks the mutants who spied on her killed her parents, when in fact they were her parents. Her parents, so ashamed of being mutants and so desperate for their child to live a happy life free of the stigma of being one (they forged alien documents to make her orphanage think her minor mutation of having one eye was because she was an alien), tell her she's right and are actually about to ''let her kill them in vengeance'' before Fry intervenes and tells her the truth.

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Visionaries}}'', Leoric gets [[ShapeShifterModeLock Mode Locked]] as a lion, and his fellow Spectral Knights who ''[[WhatAnIdiot know he shapeshifts into a lion]]'' assume this other lion killed him.

* In ''ComicBook/ActionComics'' #303: "The Monster From Krypton", red Kryptonite transforms Franchise/{{Superman}} into a dragon-like creature called a drang. When he holds his cape to communicate the change, ComicBook/JimmyOlsen thinks the monster killed him and alerts ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} and the army.

* ''ComicBook/TheBatmanAdventures'': [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed.]] In Issue #8, Summer Gleeson is supposed to have a date with a man who, unbeknownst to her, was Clayface under a disguise but arrives on time to see Clayface being arrested and wonders what happened to her date.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'', Donkey thinks an ogre ate Fiona after he finds one in her room. She calms him down enough to tell him that it's her curse.

-->'''Kuzco''': No, wait! I'm the emperor! It's me, Kuzco!... They're not listening!

* In both the film and the original novel ''Film/ThePrincessBride'' Buttercup believes that the Dread Pirate Roberts killed Westley. Only when he tumbles down the hill shouting [[SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay "As...you...wish..."]] does she realize that he ''is'' Westley.
* ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' features a justified example of this (considering the MotivationalLie Luke was told about Darth Vader killing his father), resulting in the original LukeIAmYourFather reveal.

* ''VideoGame/MetalWolfChaos'': Invoked by the usurper [[EvilChancellor Vice-President]] Richard Hawk, after his initial attempt to kill President Michael Wilson in a coup d'etat failed thanks to the President having a HumongousMecha called "Metal Wolf". As Wilson and his supporters are forced on the run following Hawk's takeover, Hawk releases propaganda newscasts denouncing "Metal Wolf" as the President's assassin and a terrorist "[[{{Narm}} meaner than Satan himself!]]"

* On ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'', [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick fall in love with one of Sandy's pets, a caterpillar named Wormy. When Wormy transforms into a butterfly overnight, they, having never seen such a thing, assume it's a monster that ate Wormy... and they were next!

* In the ''Land Before Time'' fanfic ''The Seven Hunters'' the gang of seven wishes for the power to defeat the T-Rex Red Claw and get their wish in an unexpected way by being transformed into meat-eaters. After realizing their children are missing the gang's parents find the transformed kids and chase them out of the valley with murderous intent under the mistaken assumption that they had killed their children.

'''Leela''': They...are my parents.