Ransom for a Dead Man
Episode: 1971-03-01 | Airdate: Mar 1, 1971
A brilliant tort attorney gets rid of her boring husband by faking his kidnapping and keeping the ransom. The FBI may be fooled, but not Columbo.
Episodes
Murder by the Book
Episode: 1971-09-15 | Airdate: Sep 15, 1971 (90 min)
When one member of a mystery writing team wants to break from his less talented partner, she becomes the victim in a real-life murder mystery.
Death Lends a Hand
Episode: 1971-10-06 | Airdate: Oct 6, 1971 (90 min)
When the CEO of a private detective agency threatens the wife of a publisher with blackmail and she threatens to expose him, he accidentally kills her.
Dead Weight
Episode: 1971-10-27 | Airdate: Oct 27, 1971 (90 min)
A war hero shoots and kills his business partner; an easily manipulated young divorcée is the only witness.
Suitable for Framing
Episode: 1971-11-17 | Airdate: Nov 17, 1971 (90 min)
A wealthy art collector is murdered, and all signs point to a robbery gone wrong. But the nephew's alibi is a little too convenient, and Columbo pulls a fast one to ferret out the killer.
Lady in Waiting
Episode: 1971-12-15 | Airdate: Dec 15, 1971 (90 min)
A mousy heiress murders her brother, pretending she thought he was a burglar. Lt. Columbo unravels her alibi.