Basic Trope: An innocent character is caught up in a murder when he is caught with the murder weapon.
- Straight: Bob is caught hunched over the victim, handling a bloody knife. He is actually innocent, just caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.
- Exaggerated: Bob is found in the same room as the weapon and is accused of murder, even though he is obviously innocent.
- Downplayed: Bob is briefly questioned, but the police quickly deduce that he is innocent.
- Justified:
- Because he is worried that he might be attacked by the real killer, Bob grabs the knife to defend himself, and is mistakenly arrested when it turns out to be the police.
- The killer intentionally tricked Bob into holding the weapon as part of a Frame-Up.
- The weapon used to commit the murder belongs to Bob, and thus he knows that he'll be implicated even if he wasn't seen holding it.
- Bob inadvertently handled the weapon while attempting to save the victim's life.
- Inverted:
- Bob is accused of disposing of the weapon when he is found without it on him.
- Bob is seen rendering aid to the victim. The police discount his fingerprints as he was known to be on the scene attempting first aid and who described. It turns out Bob was the murderer.
- Subverted: Bob really did commit the crime.
- Doubly Subverted: Bob was actually covering up for someone else whom he doesn't want to incriminate, and claimed responsibility to protect them.
- Parodied: The person holding the murder weapon, although obviously harmless, is arrested without being given a chance to defend himself.
- Zig-Zagged: Bob is found with the murder weapon, but protests his innocence, claiming that he was set up. Evidence uncovered during the investigation points to him and he is arrested. However, it later turns out that he was telling the truth.
- Averted:
- Bob avoids the weapon.
- Bob wore gloves and ended up dropping the weapon before he was seen with it.
- Enforced: The author wants to start a Fugitive Arc.
- Lampshaded: "Why do they always pick up the murder weapon?"
- Invoked: The real killer punches Bob in the nose and forces the murder weapon into his hand.
- Exploited: The killer tricks Bob into holding the weapon and posing in an incriminating way to make sure that he is arrested instead, directing the police to the victim.
- Defied:
- Bob doesn't touch the weapon, and calls the police.
- Bob is about to touch the weapon, but is warned not to just in time.
- Discussed: "You'd have thought Bob would have been smart enough to avoid incriminating himself."
- Conversed: "What happened to him?" "Some jerk handed him a bloody knife. Shouldn't have taken it."
- Deconstructed: Bob is caught holding the murder weapon and is arrested despite his pleas of innocence. Because of the incriminating scene, he is a top ranking suspect.
- Reconstructed: Bob wears gloves when holding the weapon and although caught holding it and arrested, he manages to get the support of an officer, Crusading Lawyer, or detective who manages to catch the real criminal or provide proof that he couldn't have committed the crime. Bob is pardoned and released from prison.
- Played For Laughs: Bob is an idiot who compulsively touches everything. Including murder weapons at crime scenes and the Big Red Button.
Visit Better Manhandle the Murder Weapon here, and be sure to wash your hands afterward.
