Mistaken for Murderer

A major character is somehow convinced that another major character is trying to kill him/her, or has already killed someone else, regardless of how long they have known the character.

In addition, a coincidental series of completely innocent accidents and happenings occur that seem to support that fear, often witnessed through a window in a direct homage/parody of the Hitchcock classic Rear Window.

Often the result of Better Manhandle the Murder Weapon. If the police think that the character is guilty but their friends stand by them, then it's Clear My Name. See also Guilt by Coincidence. Expect a Mistaken Confession if it's a comedy.

Anime and Manga

 * A variant occurs in an episode of the anime miniseries Rumic Theater, "Abberant Family F", where a girl is convinced the rest of her family plans to kill her and then commit group suicide during a family vacation.
 * Happens in Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, with
 * In Deadman Wonderland, Ganta is framed for murder and is sentenced to death in a Kangaroo Court . Although.
 * In Gunnm, Gally notices that Ido goes out at night and turns up in the morning with inexplicable injuries, all while a series of unsolved cyborg murders take place. Believing that he's the killer, she follows him and - upon seeing him attack a seemingly harmless woman - directly confronts him. Little does she know that the supposedlly innocent woman in question is actually a rogue mutant, as well as the actual murderer...
 * Though they are no major characters, Kogoro Mouri of Detective Conan frequently accuses the wrong persons for the murders that happen.
 * In G Gundam, Argo Gulski has Canada's Gundam Fighter Andrew Graham trying to kill him because he thinks Argo killed his wife back during his Space Pirate days. In reality, Argo was trying to save her from getting sucked through a hull breach but couldn't get to her in time.
 * In G Gundam, Argo Gulski has Canada's Gundam Fighter Andrew Graham trying to kill him because he thinks Argo killed his wife back during his Space Pirate days. In reality, Argo was trying to save her from getting sucked through a hull breach but couldn't get to her in time.

Comic Books

 * Happens to David Warrant from Quantum and Woody, whom Quantum believes engineered the accident that transformed himself and Woody and granted them super powers. In reality, David was trying to shut down the reactor and prevent the accident.
 * The first Doc Ock arc of Ultimate Spider-Man. The amnesiac Otto, who traded Oscorp's corporate secrets to Justin Hammer, assumes the accident that fused his tentacles to his body was Hammer's way of trying to cover his tracks. Hammer is a Corrupt Corporate Executive "knee-deep in violations of the superhuman test ban treaty", but had nothing to do with the explosion.

Fan Fiction

 * Due to Romano's paranoia, he imagines that Alfred has been plotting to kill him.

Films -- Live-Action

 * The premise of the 1993 Mike Myers film So I Married an Axe Murderer.
 * Drives a major portion of the plot of the Tom Selleck film Her Alibi.
 * In Eight Days a Week, Peter's elderly neighbour is often seen pushing his chairbound wife around the neighbourhood. Then he suddenly stops, and at the same time, Peter notices that the neighbour is bringing shovels and other tools into his house and leaving with black garbage bags during the night. Naturally, Peter suspects that the neighbour has killed his wife and is getting rid of the body. As it turns out
 * subverted in The Burbs, in which nosy neighbors become convinced that the folks who just moved in are Ax Crazy maniacs because they act creepy.
 * In A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, Gigolo Joe is forced to go on the run because he was set up for murder by the scorned lover of one of his clients.
 * Tucker and Dale vs. Evil plays this comedically, with the titular protagonists finding themselves mistaken for slasher villains after a series of misunderstandings by a group of college kids.
 * In the opening scene of Urban Legend, a woman mistakes a gas station attendant for this (or a rapist, it's not entirely clear), when he was really trying to warn her about the murderer.
 * Sam said to his mistress, Carol, that he was going to kill his wife in Ruthless People, but it doesn't end up happening. Yet since Carol was going to blackmail him, she ends up thinking he did it anyway.

Literature

 * Thanks to being a Friendly Neighborhood Vampire with a Not So Friendly Neighborhood Vampire Stalker, Jody from Bloodsucking Fiends has to deal with suspicion that she may be a serial killer—something that is not helped by the fact that she has a chest freezer with a dead man in it.
 * The Redwall novel Salamandastron had one of the protagonists, a squirrel named Samkim, get in trouble earlier in the book for nearly hitting a fellow Redwaller with a wayward arrow. The next morning a different Redwaller is killed by a pair of stoats that the Redwallers had taken in as they were fooling around with bow and arrows that were intended to be used in an archery contest. Samkim comes down the stairs and finds the guy, tripping over a bow as he did so. Another Redwaller then comes down the stairs and sees it, though luckily he isn't punished as the infirmary keeper vouches that Samkim had been in the infirmary the entire night and never left it.
 * Lemony Snicket, author of A Series of Unfortunate Events, is attempting to clear his name of arson during the writing of the books.

Live-Action TV
"Helen: Fay's the sweetest, kindest, gentlest person I've ever met. Brian: Oh, that's what every homicidal maniac's neighbor says about them. "He was the sweetest, kindest, gentlest man I have ever met. Was very quiet. Always said 'Hello.' Helped me build a dog pen." Just once I would like to hear them say: "He was a raving lunatic. I feared for my life. I WAS JUST WAITING FOR THE CHAIN-SAW TO COME RIPPING THROUGH THE WALL!!!""
 * Not murder, but an episode of Drake and Josh has Josh playing a robber in a TV reenactment, and subsequently and repeatedly being mistaken for the robber.
 * In the second season Wings episode "Murder She Roast", Brian sees a woman who resembles Fay on an America's Most Wanted-like show.

"Fay: If I was going to kill you, I'd never poison you. I'd just tamper with the fuel gauge on the plane and let you sink like a stone somewhere over Nantuckett Sound. I'm only kidding... but I do know how."
 * Lampshaded magnificently by Fay at the end of the episode:


 * Ted and Melody on Hey, Dude! came back to the ranch after being sent home sick and discovered what they thought was an elaborate plot to murder Mr. Ernst. They had missed his announcement that he had written the play, which the other employees were rehearsing.
 * Another Rear Window knock-off was one of the subplots of That '70s Show Halloween episode.
 * The first episode of I Love Lucy (1951) was titled "Lucy Thinks Ricky Is Trying to Murder Her".
 * On Newhart, Dick is suspected of murdering Joanna after he writes a murder-mystery novel with characters based on himself and people he knows.
 * Done in an episode of the short-lived Olsen twins vehicle Two of a Kind.
 * In It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the gang suspects that Mac is a serial killer due to his suspicious behavior. In reality, he's just dating a transsexual.
 * Kenan and Kel mistook Kenan's boss Chris as a mob hitman.
 * It happened twice in Seinfeld. When Kramer moves to Los Angeles, there's a whole story arc based on the police there mistaking him for a serial killer. Also, there's one episode where a guy who owns Seinfeld money gets his toes broken by him (acidentally), ends up in the trunk of his car (acidentaly), and assumes from a conversation he hears between Jerry and Elaine that they're planning on killing a woman.
 * P.J. and Gabe of Good Luck Charlie misinterpret their next door neighbor Mrs. Dabney's outburst at her soap operas, and her attempts to get rid of a bad smell and a large, heavy trunk as evidence that she murdered her husband.
 * An episode of The Wayans Bros had Grandma Ellington dating a new beau, Fred, thanks to Shawn and Marlon playing matchmaker to get her out of their hair. Everything is fine until the gang gets together to watch their favorite crime show, "Unsolved Violent Crimes", an America's Most Wanted-esque program hosted by Adam West. It featured a serial killer who preyed on old women with a poison-filled Mexican dish. The police sketch of the killer looked exactly like Fred. Everyone is convinced that Grandma is in danger. Later, Fred and Grandma have a dinner date and guess what he's cooking? A big dish of Hilarity Ensues.
 * When Nikki breaks her leg at Prof. Oglevee's apartment on The Parkers, she decides to convalesce there and becomes even more annoying. He gives her a pair of binoculars which she uses to spy on the neighbors. She sees a man strangling a woman and then sees him carrying a suspicious bundle out of his apartment. The killer sees her and decides to come after her. In the end,.
 * In one episode of My Family, a patient of Ben's is under sedation in the dental chair and confesses to murdering his wife. Susan, who has recently developed an obsession with Inspector Morse, appoints herself as detective and breaks into the man's house to find evidence. When she discovers his wife is still alive, Susan admits she knew it wasn't true but wanted it to be because of her love for TV crime dramas. The man turns out to have made it up because he is a huge fan of A Touch of Frost.

Videogames

 * Sam & Max: Season 2 re-opens Stinky's Diner, which was closed throughout the entirety of Season 1, and introduces its new owner: a thoroughly sketchy woman who claims to be Stinky's granddaughter, taking care of the diner while her grandfather is traveling (something Sam & Max point out would be incredibly unlikely for the cantankerous old man to even consider). Throughout the season, the implications pile up that this mystery woman murdered Stinky, but in What's New, Beelzebub?, it turns out that
 * In Dead or Alive 2, opera singer Helena is fully convinced that the Ninja Ayane is responsible for the murder of her mother. While Ayane neither confirms nor denies her involvement,, her real assassin, shows up in DOA 3, and has sights set on Helena.
 * In the Victorian London level in Wax Works, the protagonist is mistaken for Jack the Ripper after being seen next to a dead harlot.The fact that the body he's using is that of Jack's twin brother doesn't help him much.
 * Justified in 5 Days A Stranger, in that the character mistaken for the murder did in fact commit the murder. Granted that it was actually due to a case of Demonic Possession.
 * Happens to your character in Light's Out, the sequel to Dark Fall: The Journal.
 * In Tales of Monkey Island Chapter 4: The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood,
 * In Chapter 7 of Paper Mario, Mario drops in on Mayor Penguin to find his body on the ground. His wife comes in, freaks out, and comes to wild conclusions that pit Mario as the murderer, and he suddenly finds himself being grilled by the local police officer to the protests of whichever partner is currently active. Ironically, Watt (the youngest of the group) is the only one to consider pointing out the lack of incriminating evidence.
 * In The Shivah, Rabbi Stone is the prime suspect in Jack Lauder's murder because Jack had made Stone a beneficiary in his will and Stone's synagogue is in need of money. If the player makes certain mistakes in the game Stone will actually be arrested.

Western Animation

 * Bart on The Simpsons believed Ned Flanders had killed his wife and becomes increasingly paranoid about it, a la Jimmy Stewart in Rear Window.
 * Another episode had Otto's ex-wife-to-be living with the Simpsons, with Marge claiming that she's planning to murder her, leading to her being labeled insane. Turns out she was trying to kill Marge (for no reason, but it's that kind of show), but couldn't find a good shovel to bury the body with, so the whole plan fell apart.
 * Rocko's Modern Life, "Ed's Dead": Rocko witnesses the apparent murder of his neighbor Ed Bighead by his wife Bev and starts swearing that he's next.
 * Brendon mistakenly believes his neighbor is a murderer in Home Movies in another Rear Window knock-off.
 * In one episode of The Flintstones, Fred suspects his Hitchcock-like new neighbor has bumped off his overbearing wife. Oddly enough, after the "harmless coincidence" explanation at the end, it was hinted not-so-subtly that the man actually had killed his wife.
 * Tiny Toon Adventures: Plucky Duck thinks Elmer Fudd is growing clones of himself, in a Rear Window/Invasion of the Body Snatchers fusion. In another episode, Plucky confuses Hampton with a criminally inclined Identical Stranger he sees on an America's Most Wanted clone.
 * In yet another episode, Elmyra's brother (who has been watching Rear Window) believes his neighbor is a murderer when he thinks he spots parallels between the movie and said neighbor.
 * In "Spookyfish", a South Park Halloween episode, Stan is mistaken for a murderer by his mother, when in fact the murderer is his pet goldfish. Instead of being afraid of him, she attempts to protect him by burying the bodies and locking a police officer in the basement (without any pants, for some reason). Stan's father takes everything surprisingly well.
 * In The Spectacular Spider-Man, Punch Clock Villain Otto Octavius is rightly terrified that someone will discover his involvement in developing Supervillains to pit against Spider-Man. When he survives a murder attempt by the Green Goblin, a drastically changed Octavius assumes that Spider-Man engineered it, and vows vengeance as Doctor Octopus.
 * The Dethklok song "Bloodtrocuted" tells the story of an electrician who is Mistaken for Murderer by the bounty hunters chasing him, because he happens to look like the man that they're after. Of course, it's Dethklok, so
 * Terry has to clear his name of killing Mad Stan in the Batman Beyond episode "Eyewitness"..
 * In an episode of The Fairly Odd Parents, Timmy and Cosmo believe that Big Daddy's men are going to murder Wanda. Turns out.
 * In an episode of Goof Troop ("For Pete's Sake"), Pete reads a letter from Goofy and thinks that Goofy is out to kill him. It turns out that
 * The Cleveland Show where he thought Holt had killed his mother. He was actually trying to bury his blowup sex doll.