Death Hits the Jackpot story
Down-on-his-luck photographer Freddy Brower wins a $30 million lottery. But he wants to keep the money a secret from his wife Nancy, who is divorcing him, so that she cannot make a claim for the money. Freddy goes to his uncle, wealthy jeweler Leon Lamarr, who offers to pretend that the lottery ticket is his own until Freddy's divorce is finalized. Unfortunately, that is where Freddy's luck runs out: he does not know that Lamarr has recently gone bankrupt, and is also having an affair with Nancy. Lamarr decides to kill Freddy to keep the lottery winnings for himself. He schedules a Halloween costume party at his house, during which he sneaks out to Freddy's apartment, knocks him out, undresses him, then drowns him in his bathtub. Nancy calls Lamarr during the party pretending to be Freddy. Final clue/twist: The night of the murder, Brower was taking care of a friend's chimpanzee. Columbo learns that the chimp liked to handle shiny objects, and finds the chimp's fingerprints on a medallion that was part of Lamarr's Halloween costume, proving that Lamarr was at Brower's apartment that night. When confronting Lamarr, Columbo calls Nancy in to thank her for her "cooperation" and to let her know she will be the sole beneficiary of the winnings. Columbo knew Lamarr would think Nancy has implicated him, so Lamarr not only confesses to the murder, but reveals Nancy's involvement in the crime. Directed by: Vincent McEveety. Story by: Jeffrey Bloom.
18 total · 3 choice · 6 major · 9 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| greed for riches | choice | The already well-off jeweler Leon Lamarr drown his nephew in a bathtub to keep from having to pay out a $30 million lottery windfall he rightly owed the nephew. |
| how to murder someone and get away with it | choice | The well-off jeweler Leon Lamarr drowned his nephew, Freddy Brower, in Freddy's own bathtub and made it look like a slip and fall accident. He did this to keep a $30 million lottery windfall he rightly owed Freddy. To secure an airtight alibi, Leon arranged for a lavish costume party to be held at his mansion on the night of Halloween. He dressed up as George III and slipped out to pay Freddy a fated visit with none being the wiser. One gathers that he would have gotten away with his crime had it not been for the meddlesome Lt. Columbo and another meddlesome primate. |
| parricide | choice | The story turns Leon Lamarr drowning his "favorite nephew" Freddy Brower in the bathtub to maintain possession of a $30 million lottery windfall that rightly belonged to Freddy. |
| extramarital affair | major | The villain of the story Leon Lamarr was secretly carrying on with his nephew's estranged wife, Nancy. |
| husband and wife | major | Leon and Martha Lamarr held a lavish Halloween costume party at their mansion. Martha was elated to find out that Leon had apparently won the lottery. |
| law enforcement | major | The bumbling but sharp-witted homicide detective Lt. Columbo was tasked with the following murder mystery: Did Freddy Brower perish in a bathtub slip and fall accident, or was a greedy uncle perhaps involved? |
| paramour and paramour | major | The villain of the story Leon Lamarr maintained a sexual relationship with his nephew's estranged wife, Nancy, and he also make her an accomplice in the nephew's murder. |
| uncle and nephew | major | The story turns Leon Lamarr drowning his "favorite nephew" Freddy Brower in the bathtub to maintain possession of a $30 million lottery windfall that rightly belonged to Freddy. |
| what if I came into a lot of money | major | The spendthrift photographer Freddy Brower won $30,435,885 in the lottery. He planned to take up residence in Switzerland and buy a fancy sports car. |
| alcohol abuse | minor | Leon alleged that Freddy's drinking problem may have led to his apparent bathtub slip and fall accidental death. |