History Main / LotsaPeopleTryToDunIt

* In "Soft Pawn" by William Hartston, thirteen grandmasters kill an {{expy}} of Bobby Fischer. [[spoiler:Except this is a SherlockHolmes parody, and all the chess-related herrings were red. It was Keffeagh Bacdabb. Actually [=McNab=]...but he had the flu. Yes, it's that kind of silly.]]

** Orko's mistreated servant Hisroot tries to stab him in the back and then poison his sandwich but is interrupted both times.

** Orko's son-in-law Gorga hires Boba Fett to kill Orko. He changes his mind and tries to call Boba off upon discovering that his wife is pregnant, but he can't reach Boba. Ironically, Boba betrays Gorga and offers to spare Orko's life in exchange for the money Gorga offered, plus 100,000 credits.

* ''WebVideo/DanganronpaRebirth'': [[spoiler:[[ProfessionalKiller Zen Katagiri]] doesn't [[RasputinianDeath go down effortlessly]]. It starts with Kazuomi Samejima pushing him down the stairs, breaking his leg. Then [[WickedWitch Kazumi Izumo]] strangles him. ''Then'' [[SupremeChef Narumi Osone]] cooks him a poisonous meal. It culminates in [[TheCutie Marin Mizuta]] accidentally killing him by suffocating him while trying to attempt CPR. To add insult to injury, [[AloofAlly Mikoto Itsuki]] posthumously [[OffWithHisHead decapitates his corpse]]]].

* ''WebVideo/DanganronpaRebirth'': [[spoiler:[[ProfessionalKiller Zen Katagiri]] doesn't [[RasputinianDeath go down effortlessly]]. It starts with [[BadassGay Kazuomi Samejima]] pushing him down the stairs, breaking his leg. Then [[WickedWitch Kazumi Izumo]] strangles him. ''Then'' [[SupremeChef Narumi Osone]] cooks him a poisonous meal. It culminates in [[TheCutie Marin Mizuta]] accidentally killing him by suffocating him while trying to attempt CPR. To add insult to injury, [[AloofAlly Mikoto Itsuki]] posthumously [[OffWithHisHead decapitates his corpse]]]].

* And in ''VisualNovel/SuperDanganronpaAnother2'', [[spoiler: Nikei Yomiuri]], [[spoiler: Yuki Maeda]], ''and'' [[spoiler: Sora]] are all believed to be the culprits for the murder of [[spoiler: Shinji Kasai; Nikei knocked himself and Yuki out to manipulate Yuki into slashing Shinji's throat with a glass shard. Then Sora came along and Shinji's throat again, but using the unconscious Nikei's hand to try and invoke CartesianKarma]]. They also discover that things aren't as they seem. [[spoiler: Shinji managed to survive both these attempts and committed suicide to prevent anyone from becoming the Blackened.]]

* And in ''VisualNovel/SuperDanganronpaAnother2'', both [[spoiler: Nikei Yomiuri]], [[spoiler: Yuki Maeda]], ''and'' [[spoiler: Sora]] all believe they're the culprits for the murder of [[spoiler: Shinji Kasai; Nikei manipulates Yuki Maeda into slashing Shinji Kasai's throat with a glass shard. Then Sora slashes Shinji's throat again, using the unconscious Nikei's hand]]. They also discover that things aren't as they seem. [[spoiler: And like Sakura, Shinji committed suicide to prevent any of his friends from becoming the Blackened.]]

* In the [[spoiler:fourth]] case of ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'' both [[spoiler:Yasuhiro Hagakure]] and [[spoiler:Genocide Jack]] believe they killed [[spoiler:Sakura Ogami by [[GrievousBottleyHarm hitting her over the head with a bottle]]]], but [[spoiler:[[TakeAThirdOption she actually]] [[HeroicSuicide killed herself]]]].

* In ''Film/TheTroubleWithHarry'', multiple characters think they might have killed Harry, which results in his body being moved multiple times as they try to hide their possible guilt. In this case, none of them actually set out to murder him, but each one believes they may be guilty of at least manslaughter. [[spoiler:It turns out none of them actually killed Harry.]]

* The children's book series adaptation of ''{{Literature/Clue}}'' usually uses some version of this for the final case in each book. The host, Mr. Boddy, finally does something to incite his guests beyond mooching, larceny and infighting into actually trying to kill him out of cupidity or fear of exposure, they all either off each other trying or simply get in each other's way, while their host typically has a ridiculous run of luck avoiding murder attempts until one finally gets him. (In the next book, it's revealed why nobody actually died and why the host chose to forgive everybody everything. Although he does keep hiring you to come back the next time he's inviting the usual suspects over.)
* In ''[[Literature/NurseryCrime The Big Over Easy]]'', nearly every suspect in the book actually tried to kill Humpty Dumpty, but didn't succeed. [[spoiler: His ex-wife thought she shot him, but actually killed his friend, his lover poisoned his coffee which he didn't drink, Lord Spongg wired his car with a bomb but Humpty didn't drive it it, and Solomon Grundy hired a hit man who shot Humpty when he was already dying. The real killer? Humpty's crazy doctor who used him to incubate a monster, killing Humpty (who is literally a large egg) when it hatched.]]

* ''Series/TheCoroner'': In "That's the Way to Do It", the VictimOfTheWeek is already dying as a result of having had [[TamperingWithFoodAndDrink her food spiked with shellfish]] to trigger a fatal allergic reaction. The second killer discovers her and [[GrievousBottleyHarm beats her death with a champagne bottle]]. Both would-be murderers end up going to prison.

* In one episode of ''Series/FoylesWar'', the victim of the week is left incapacitated but not dead by a blow to the head from one intended killer, then dragged off and drowned by a second, unrelated assailant.
* In ''Series/{{Damages}}'', Tom Shayes turns out to have escaped torture and attempted murder by gangsters, but then to have been killed by another person after he arrived home.
* ''Series/RippingYarns'': PlayedForLaughs in "Murder at Moorstones Manor" where four different characters confess to the murder, complete with MotiveRant, before they end up killing each other. Each is utterly convinced they are the murderer, and it leaves the one surviving character thoroughly confused.

* ''Series/AlloAllo'': The Resistance, Colonel von Strohm and Herr Flick all independently try to assassinate General von Klinkerhoffern. Their attempts get in each others' ways so that they all fail.
* ''Series/NewTricks'': In "Life Expectancy", the team recover what they think is the weapon used in a fatal bludgeoning: a marble phrenology bust. After investigating, they finally get a suspect to confess that she struck down the victim with the bust. However, after this, forensics reveals that the fatal blow did not come from the bust, and the team realise that someone else had come along and finished the job.

[[quoteright:350:[[TableTopGame/KillDrLucky https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kill_doctor_lucky.jpg]]]]

* In the Creator/ECComics story "Three for the Money," a man is found with a bullet hole in his head and a thrown knife in his back, as two assailants had simultaneously tried to kill him (one from the front and one from behind). The detective points out that whichever one of them DID kill him, the other is still guilty of attempted murder. As it turns out, the victim was already dead, poisoned by his wife.

[[folder:Fan Fiction]]
* PlayedForLaughs in the ''Fanfic/{{Infinity}}'' spin-off ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9485532/1/Fate-T-Harlaown-and-the-Case-of-the-Murderous-Murder Fate T. Harlaown and the Case of the Murderous Murder]]''. [[spoiler: Every single suspect thinks that they succeeded in killing the governor, but he actually choked to death on a nut.]]

[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]

* In [[Literature/NurseryCrime ''The Big Over Easy'']], nearly every suspect in the book actually tried to kill Humpty Dumpty, but didn't succeed. [[spoiler: His ex-wife thought she shot him, but actually killed his friend, his lover poisoned his coffee which he didn't drink, Lord Spongg wired his car with a bomb but Humpty didn't drive it it, and Solomon Grundy hired a hit man who shot Humpty when he was already dying. The real killer? Humpty's crazy doctor who used him to incubate a monster, killing Humpty (who is literally a large egg) when it hatched.]]

* In the boardgame ''Kill Doctor Lucky'', all the players are attempting to kill the good Doctor, and the winner is the first one to succeed.

* In "Soft Pawn" by William Hartston, thirteen grandmasters kill an {{expy}} of Bobby Fischer. [[spoiler:Except this is a SherlockHolmes parody, and all the chess-related herrings were red. It was Keffeagh Bacdabb. Actually McNab...but he had the flu. Yes, it's that kind of silly.]]

* In [[Literature/NurseryCrime ''The Big Over Easy'']], nearly every suspect in the book actually tried to kill Humpty Dumpty, but didn't succeed. [[spoiler: His ex-wife thought she shot him, but actually killed his friend, Lord Spongg wired his car with a bomb but Humpty didn't drive it it, and Solomon Grundy hired a hit man who shot Humpty when he was already dying. The real killer? Humpty's crazy doctor who used him to incubate a monster, killing Humpty (who is literally a large egg) when it hatched.]]

[[folder:Film--Live Action]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* In ''VisualNovel/DanganRonpa'', case [[spoiler:4]] has this (minus the AssholeVictim part), [[spoiler:but, as it turns out, [[TakeAThirdOption the answer is]] [[HeroicSacrifice "none of the above"]]]].

* ''Series/DeathInParadise'': In "She Was Murdered Twice", the body of a woman is found shot in bed at a company retreat. After Humphrey talks to the people on the retreat and gathers evidence, he finds a suspect who confesses to having shot the victim. After putting him in jail to await trial, the coroner's report comes in and says that the victim was strangled to death before she was shot, and Humphrey has to go through the suspects again to find the second killer. [[spoiler:In the end, it's a subversion. There was only one killer, who strangled the victim in the heat of the moment, and quickly realized that he would soon become the prime suspect and be arrested. With nothing to lose, he tries to get sent to prison for ''attempted'' murder and receive a significantly shorter sentence. He shoots the corpse, and when the police start to close in, he "confesses" to having murdered the victim by shooting her. Then he just waits in his cell for the coroner to send the police on a wild goose chase. Humphrey ends up having to catch the same killer twice for the same murder]].

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* ''Series/DeathInParadise'': In "She Was Murdered Twice", the body of a woman is found shot in bed at a company retreat. After Detective Humphrey investigates for a while, he quickly finds a prime suspect, who confesses to having shot the victim. After putting him in jail to await trial, the coroner's report comes in and says that she was strangled to death before she was shot, and Humphrey has to find the second killer. [[spoiler:In the end, it's a subversion. There was only one killer, who strangled the victim in the heat of the moment, and immediately realized afterwards that he would become the prime suspect and would be caught. With nothing to lose, he tries to get sent to prison for ''attempted'' murder and a significantly shorter sentence. He shoots the corpse, and when the police start to close in, he "confesses" to having murdered the victim by shooting her. Then he just waits in his cell for the coroner to send the police on a wild goose chase. Humphrey ends up having to catch the exact same killer twice for the same murder]].

* ''Series/DeathInParadise'': In "She Was Murdered Twice", the body of a woman is found shot in bed at a company retreat. After Detective Humphrey investigates for a while, he quickly finds a prime suspect, who confesses to having shot the victim. After putting him in jail to await trial, the coroner's report comes in and says that she was strangled to death before she was shot, and Humphrey has to find the second killer. [[spoiler:In the end, it's a subversion. There was only one killer, who strangled the victim in the heat of the moment, and immediately realized afterwards that he would become the prime suspect and would be caught. With nothing to lose, he tries to get sent to prison for ''attempted'' murder and a significantly shorter sentence. He shoots the corpse, and when the police start to close in, he "confesses" to having murdered the victim by shooting her. Then he just waits in his cell for the coroner to send the police on a wild goose chase. Humphrey ends up having to find the exact same killer twice]].

* ''Series/{{CSI}}'': A extreme example occurs in "Ending Happy". The [=CSIs=] are investigating the RasputinianDeath of boxer Lorenzo 'Happy' Gonzales, and discover a bizarre chain of events where the multiple murder attempts ended up interfering with each other. The drugged-up ex-boxer passes out on his favorite prostitute's bed, and is injected with snake venom by her and an accomplice. His boss's wife is fed shrimp by his boss, in order to trigger Happy's allergy when they hook up, causing his throat to swell. He's then shot through the throat with a crossbow by one of the people who injected him with snake venom, allowing him to breathe again. He figures out what the prostitute did and goes back to her room angry, and she hits him with a crowbar. Then he staggers off to rest on a chair by the brothel's swimming pool, and leans over to pick up a cigarette. The chair collapses under his weight and drops him into the pool, wherein he finally drowns.

* In ''Film/TheTroubleWithHarry'', multiple characters think they might have killed Harry, which results in his body behind moved multiple times as they try to hide their possible guilt. In this case, none of them actually set out to murder him, but each one believes they may be guilty of at least manslaughter. [[spoiler:It turns out none of them actually killed Harry.]]

* In trope-laden sex comedy ''Film/TheNakedDetective'', three different harpies are trying to kill old man Harthcourt Higglesbotham III [[InheritanceMurder for his inheritance]] (and because he's a cantankerous old bastard who's been making their lives miserable knowing they'll do anything for the estate). Fourth wife Roxanne was trying to poison him with rat poison, nurse Annie was trying to overdose him on his vitamin K medication, and daughter-in-law Irene was trying to shoot him (badly). [[spoiler:Rat poison is basically blood thinner, while vitamin K is a coagulant--they cancelled each other out. Of course, it still sent his blood haywire and caused seizures, but the attempted shootings were raising his adrenaline levels, allowing him to ride them out. Actual killer (by accident?): his nebbish son, whose OCD bug spraying inadvertently poisoned his antacid pills.]]

* In "Soft Pawn" by William Hartston, thirteen grandmasters kill an expy of Bobby Fischer. [[spoiler: Except this is a SherlockHolmes parody, and all the chess-related herrings were red. It was Keffeagh Bacdabb. Actually McNab...but he had the flu. Yes, it's that kind of silly.]]

* The children's book series adapation of ''{{Literature/Clue}}'' usually uses some version of this for the final case in each book. The host, Mr. Boddy, finally does something to incite his guests beyond mooching, larceny and infighting into actually trying to kill him out of cupidity or fear of exposure, they all either off each other trying or simply get in each other's way, while their host typically has a ridiculous run of luck avoiding murder attempts until one finally gets him. (In the next book, it's revealed why nobody actually died and why the host chose to forgive everybody everything. Although he does keep hiring you to come back the next time he's inviting the usual suspects over.)