"The Man Who Fired the Gun is Still in This Room" | Columbo
Вставка
- Опубліковано 12 лют 2022
- To everyone's surprise, Columbo proves that Nelson Hayward staged the assassination attempt in order to convince the detectives that he was innocent.
Stream Columbo now on Peacock: pck.tv/3oBPwpJ
Season 3, Episode 3 'Candidate for Crime': Columbo investigates the murder of a senatorial candidate's campaign manager.
Your favorite shows, movies and more are here. Stream now on Peacock: www.peacocktv.com
He's the greatest detective of all time, and he finally has his own official channel! Follow us for the clips and compilations of the most iconic murders and moments from the classic series.
Just one more thing... Don't forget to subscribe: / @columbo
and watch the full episodes on iTunes: itunes.apple.com/au/tv-season...
#Columbo #PeterFalk - Розваги
The most incredible thing about this scene is that Columbo found the bullet, got it out of the wall, drove it to ballistics, got their full report and drove back through LA traffic, all over the course of three hours.
he knows some people
Perhaps LA traffic wasn't as bad in the 1970's as it is now.
They used the lights and siren. Seriously, most likely this hotel was in downtown, only a mile or two from that famous building depicted in the middle of all their badges.
@@FourOf92000 lol
@@Elhardtyes
"I dug this bullet out of that wall three hours before you said somebody fired it at you three minutes ago." Game. Set. Match. Columbo.
Hayward [desperate]: So you have a time machine?
Love Colombo
He's a politician .. of course he won't be convicted .. all kinds of defense options including .. at trial .. where's the bullet ? It seems to have been misplaced
If he dug the bullet out of the wall , shouldnt the hole be bigger and wouldn't that have tipped off Hayward ?
@@exitscreaming4637 could have used tweezers don't know but good point columbo number 2😀
The killer here does the best "I am so screwed" face I have ever seen as Columbo explains how he knows he's lying.
@firstofall1078 always loved that part
And the sweat beads on his forehead are a brilliant touch.
@@chriswinter6672 Exactly!!!!
the killer directed the episode
Columbo episodes always had the best actor for each character.
I love it when Columbo said, "no bullet in the wall, the bullet is right here". Slowly and methodically showing the bullet. That was pure savage!
“It’s in my handkerchief!” 🤣
Yes!!!!!
I met Jackie Cooper. He was a mild-mannered person.
@@mikedavis8314 a fine actor too I remember him in a twilight zone episode
@@liuk970 He played the Irish ventriloquist quite touchingly.
The best Columbo episodes are ones where the killer is exposed publicly like this. Makes it so much more satisfying. This episode along with Suitable For Framing and A Friend In Deed are the gold standards for this.
agreed , its very satisfying to see the person being caught in public like this .
Ross Martin (Suitable for Framing)was SO ARROGANT(and a double killer) that was my most satisfying check mate moment.
@@glst1974 Absolutely, the way he stutters when saying “you, you touched them?!?” is a just devastatingly fun to watch. 😂
"The best Columbo episodes are ones where the killer is exposed publicly like this."
Yep - all that remains is to cuff him, frog march 'im out between the guests, and - 'just one more thing, sir' - bang his head on the squad car roof before throwing him in the back.
Rob Gasper You mentioned my favourite episodes. You have great taste. A massive Columbo fan from the UK. 🙏❤️👍
Actor Jackie Cooper plays the candidate so perfectly that we do not see an actor, we see a politician.
When I see Jackie Cooper I think of the editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet, Perry White, in the original superman movies with Christopher Reeve. Perhaps that is because I saw him in there first.
Agreed.
@@patrickjohnson5658 think cooper was the chef of the news paper in superman , right !
agreed
Yeah, he perfectly plays a republican politician.
I loved this ending, how Hayward ultimately incriminated himself without realising it.
@Angie H. Corrected.
@Angie H. how bizarrely specific and lengthy. Are you a teacher perchance?
@@revorger You have a great deal of patience.
@Angie H. You're NOT supposed to put fictional character names in quotations marks.
@Angie H. Reviving a dead chain but I love how long winded your comment around added clarity is while your bizarre punctuation makes it incredibly difficult to read and understand
Peter Falk was a great actor. May he rest in peace.
And so were all the villains he chose in his episodes. I Wish Columbo could never be forgotten
@@wop60 That's why there's UA-cam!
@@donaldfschiff1229 EXACTLY 💯. I'm uploading videos about each Columbo episode I've been watching the past few months since last year. Detective Columbo Peter Falk may he RIP
He was the limburger. Took it all the way to the railside. I'll have that back now if you please sir.
His counterpart in this episode was doing a good job too. Just watch the nuance of his face from anger to realization as Columbo breaks it down. There's even a subtle gulp in the throat when it's all done. So good.
One of my favorite scenes in the whole series, what an ace card Columbo played.
Who else would watch the phone to see how many or if any calls were made. I guess Colombo hates to let even moments of idle boredom become useless.
They just don't make 'em like this anymore.
@@raccuia1 por favor manda dublado
@@rnash999 People watch phones all the time now...
@@NuisanceMan No, in some states it is illegal to record a phone conversation with another party without their consent. In mine it will get you in a lot of trouble. Some states only require one of the two party's consent.
Columbo rendered a politician speechless. That's a first in the history of the world!
Loved how Heyward's wife threw shade on her husband's mistress! She instinctively knew she was having an affair with her husband.
Being his wife she must have known which was his type of woman. and probably the mistress fitted that type exactly.
I cant blame him
His wife is way sexier
“No, Sir!”
Notice how fast that line shut up Nelson Hayward!
Love the bit when columbo says you are under arrest and Jackie cooper closes his eyes! Timing is spot on
Except it isn't. They shot all of Cooper's lines and reactions at one time. Then the ones with Falk and edited them together. They only use one camera, like in a movie.
@@grf15The editing made the timing spot on. The OP is correct
Fantastic series. I was 16 when I watched my first episode I am now 64 still watching Columbo.
Had no idea there were so many episodes of it
I was like 10 when I seen it and became a huge fan too..
@@brianbrady4496 Same here, in The Netherlands, 1970s. Still hooked, and I know all of 'em!
@@JohanHerrenberg
Well hello from America. To another Colombo fan
@@brianbrady4496 Greetings!
Jackie Cooper was one of the best guest murderers I'm the entire series. The way he displayed the murderer's emotions with his facial features is without parallel. For me this one of the best episodes of "Columbo."
I agree , despite all the flaws in logic in this episode Jackie Cooper was great
In my opinion this was the best Columbo for me. Jackie Cooper's performance was chilling. Missed him and of course Peter Falk R. I. P.
Cooper's vocal delivery was so brilliant. He sounded infuriatingly like so many politicians today.
Americas Boy 🇺🇸 ❤
I thought the same. He manages to look utterly defeated without saying a word.
By modern standards, Hayward is an honest politician.
🧐
'By modern standards'Hayward being a murderer would be an electoral asset.
he just can't stop cooming
"An honest politician is one who stays bought" - R.A. Heinlein
he was for workers not rich people
Columbo denies he has to dig the bullet out of the wall to have ballistics test it, because that's already been done.
The wife is puzzled.
The campaign volunteer is puzzled.
The police sergeant is puzzled.
The candidate knows the jig is up.
The only response the candidate gave after being nailed by the Leutenant: Closing Eyes!
Columbo shows all of what he had, and Game Over, Candidate.
@@tichaonaguta Hayward didn't just close his eyes. That was the capper to a great performance. Just before that, after some beads of sweat appeared on Hayward's forehead, he appeared shocked, but kept his emotions under control. As the weight of the evidence Columbo presented sunk in, Hayward conveyed resignation. It's a terrific performance by Jackie Cooper, who's been in show biz his entire life, from one of the members of "Our Gang" and onward.
And rocked back... like he was hit by a punch. Fantastic.
To bed for that secretary , she was very nice!
Along with “Suitable For Framing”, this was one of my top 10 best Columbo gotchas
I agree, it's a close run between these two episodes.
Spot on these two episodes have great endings
Yeah Mine too… A Friend In Deed and Playback are also great gotchas
Every Columbo episode was gansta but you’re rite about “ suitable fo’ framing 👍🏿
"A Stitch in Crime " was really good too.
Been watching Columbo for 30+ years and still never gets old.
Love this one, especially the close-ups on the murderer, the look of desperation, resignation, the glistening forehead. The music was great as well.
Love the way Haywood makes his case and ends by saying the bit about it being the same hand firing the bullet was the guilty person, then his reaction when Columbo says no sir about taking the bullet out of the wall...hilarious 🤣
This might be the best cast episode of the series, it is superb. Jackie Cooper naturally, but also Joanne Linville as his wife, Tisha Sterling as the girlfriend, and Ken Swofford as the campaign manager. All of them are just excellent!!
Joanne Linville, one of the most beautiful Romulans to grace "Star Trek".
The wife was played by Joanne Linville. The finest Romulan commander there ever was! RIP.
That's where I've seen her before! It was driving me nuts.
black and white dress. thank you for saving me the imdb search.
Fredaiscolombo
She was FAR more than that. She was a character player throughout the 60s on many different shows and always played her part flawlessly. I always thought she had a regality to her but it only helped her in parts like this episode.
And after all this time, we STILL don't know her first name lol.
"You're under arrest, sir." There's real weight in that delivery.
The wife's acting when discovering Linda was so natural. The facial expressions trying to hold it in and still be the wife of a cheater and to keep her composure under the scrutinizing microscope of public opinion, all in a few seconds--wow, the range of emotions. Brilliant. (Jackie Cooper's hands while waiting for his"wife's" reaction, wonderful.
I thought I was the only one that saw that
Where is that in this clip. I couldn't find what you are talking about.
@@fastguned when she first walks in the door and sees them two
@@TheMan750 OK but I don't see any weird hand movements by Jackie Cooper as the original poster states. Are you ail talking about at 2:48
@@fastguned Watch her face while she moves past "Nels", It's subtle.
There will never be another Lt Colombo.
The 80's are not returning.
Actually almost all seasons and episodes are from the 70s. Not the 80s. They made only 6 Colombo episodes or so in total during the 80s and those all came at the very end of that decade, in 1989.
As of right now, we will be starting the '80s in roughly 56 years
@@NutjobGTO😂 yes, 2080 is right around the corner. 😂
Failure at university studies, military service, one job after another. Don't remind me of the 80s.
@@flitsertheoI hope things went up after that for you. Cheers
I could watch 1000 columbo episodes, and I still wouldn't get tired of watching them. Columbo was perfection from A - Z
There are only 69 episodes of Columbo tho lol
Any murderer knowing columbo is on the case should just give themselves up
Just turn themselves in 😂😂
I like the ones that have a degree of relief when it's finally over. Donald Pleasance in Port in a Storm
Amen
The wisest thing they could do is shut their mouth and lawyer up. And completely not do anything else.
Columbo always goat them to do something stupid or say something that will eventually lead to their downfall. So if they could just keep their mouth shut, Columbo is helpless. And if he bother you, just get a restraining order against him :)
I felt so sorry for Hayward's wife. She put up with her husband's infidelity for his benefit and public image, and now she realizes he's a murderer as well.
Losers con rounded up!!!
She was OK. She had the blood and spirit of a Romulan Starship Commander (Joanne Linville Star Trek TOS) . LOLOL
@@frederickwise5238When she lost a cloaking device to the Federation, she was immediately demoted to a politician’s wife!
She put up with it for her image, her lifestyle and her prestige.
I'm not so sure, maybe she stood by him because she wants to run for president someday.
I love the way the piano hits that soft chord right as Jackie Cooper closes his eyes at the end. Great way to close the scene.
*episode
Wow, he didn't just walk into that one, he ran headfirst. Great Gotcha moment.
Cooper's reaction when told he's under arrest... Sublime acting.
Columbo answering all his questions with "yes sir" until the last question "no sir" lol 🤣🤣
This was classic Colombo the best detective ever in TV history of detective shows. No guns no chase just simple deductions.
Love it when Cooper's forehead started sweating, as the noose was tightened. 🤣
The look of devastation on Haywards face! He knows everything he worked for is over! The background score just enhances it.
And he could have avoided everything by just picking up the phone and calling someone
Columbo was already onto him. He probably would have checked the room anyway.
Worked for????? Are you kidding?
@toddkes5890, "the perfect crime" does not exist!!!! Ask those thousands in jail everywhere!!!! They thought they would do it better than the one before them!! Who was caught on an 'stupid' mishap!!!!
That piano note after Columbo says "you're under arrest sir" 🎵
Absolutely agree!!
Yes, the music perfectly sums up Harward's predicament - his political career and marriage are finished!
Considering that the killer left a fire cracker residue on the floor I highly doubt he would have gotten away with it.
Exactly, I was going to post the same thing, but you beat me to it. There would have been paper from the firecracker casing all of the place and there would have been a scorched black spot on the tile floor from the gunpowder exploding.
He should have quickly threw it over ledge!
All he would've had to do would have been to set it on the railing when he lit it in a position where the explosion would have pushed it over the edge.
@@spectrum7virkeytroni I was thinking that too
Yeah. I was thinking he might have had just enough time to scoop it up and toss it off the balcony. ... Maybe. ... Still can't say there wouldn't be a scorch mark left behind.
Jackie Cooper is so good in this episode. I wish he would have had many more prominent roles as an adult actor then he did.
He had the smarmy politician down to a T. You could have actually believed that his character was a politician playing himself instead of an actor.
Perry White in Superman!
He was always a little rascal !
He did a lot of work behind the scenes including directing later in his career but still did acting roles including a couple of Rockfords, Kojak, Police Story, etc., as well as the movies. You can find great interviews with him about his life here on YT.
Dont you love him with Miss Crabtree😊
They don't make 'em like this no more! Legendary series!
"You're under arrest.". Quiet. Calm. Devastating .
A precise destruction of self-importance and ego. So perfect. Genius writing and acting.
Great reaction shot of Mrs Hayward at the very end. Felt so sorry for her at the reveal.
Yes, it was epic when she uttered "what's he talking about".
Once Columbo said he had the bullet, everyone knew he was guilty.
She still has her looks and can find a new guy who loves her.
@@lewisnerloves or desires her?
9:20 - I like the moment when the criminal, who just tried to prove nervously and screaming that there was an attempt on him, just nods his head and nods at the arguments presented to him by Columbo and doesn't even try to contradict them anymore xD
There's no better detective than columbo😂
This is a classic example of why theatrical silencers do not act like their real-life counter parts, this whole sequence would have been ruined because the officers in the next room would have heard the shot.
Moreover, real world suppressors do not work with revolvers!
@@ValerianMacMillan Excellent point!
@@ValerianMacMillan Not true. You can make your own silencer to work with revolvers.
@@caspice No you can't. The end of the barrel is not the part of a revolver that you'd need to worry about. You have to make a specialized revolver with specialized ammunition such as the Nagant M1895.
I'm more intrigued that the window didn't break!
I love how he keeps the most incriminating evidence in his handkerchief 😂😂
In those days a policeman's word was good enough for a conviction.
Well he cant get his fingerprints on evidence 🤷♂️
A classic Columbo takedown. Great acting all round.
"You're under arrest, Sir!" - those fateful words every criminal fears to hear - what a great ending to a superb episode.
Remember: if you want to seem innocent, don't explode in anger at the smallest provocation.
that's a retarded argument. innocent people will get just as indignant if they're falsely accused of bullshit like murder.
Would u be STILL ....If some 1 had u by da Ballz....& turning dat B***** at the same 🕙......Sound dat Noise.....
So many of the killers try to dissuade Colombo of the relevance of the evidence.
The character will live forever. People will be watching this show a century from now.
somehow i doubt that
@@danielstanwyck2812 Columbo is timeless and now a part of the cultural heritage of the mankind. Sounds pathetic, but it is so.
Max Sachs Why is that pathetic?
@@danielstanwyck2812 Their loss.
I always thought Peter Falk should've hosted a Saturday Night Live episode and done a skit where he plays Columbo, and when the murderer finds out that Columbo is on the case, he just gives himself up and immediately confesses after like 30 seconds. 😂
Then Columbo would be all disappointed and say something like, "Well, I guess I'll go home and see what my wife's making for dinner!"
Well said.That would have been great.
If I was going to murder someone I would find out when Columbo was on holiday.
See the one with Charlie Day. It's so funny!
😂😂😂 that would have been a classic
There is a hilarious Roast with Sinatra episode where Falk is in character, and plays it to perfection.
love how they are all walking round waving guns with their fingers on the trigger.......lol
I was just watching this episode on Peacock a couple of days ago; so good! I think Columbo particularly enjoyed taking down arrogant, egotistical creeps. This guy was no exception!
"Columbo particularly enjoyed taking down arrogant, egotistical creeps."
That, plus typically with status and - it is implied - financially successful too.
@@pauljackson1709 Well, arrogant, egotistical creeps with status and money were most of the people he took down!
Yes! like the gym owner in 'An Exercise In Fatality'.
"You tried to contrive the perfect alibi, and it's that alibi that's gonna HANG you" - masterful!
Absolutely. I loved the rare occasions when he would lose his temper with the particularly arrogant time-wasting murderers
@@Hammerton32 What a jerk that guy was. I still wonder if that part was written especially for Robert Conrad.
One of the supreme "Gotcha" moments in mystery fiction
“Somebody is shooting through the window! Quick, everybody charge into the room!”
People give Falk praise and rightly so but how well was that written? A brilliant ending , one of the best
I have the box set and personally feel that season one and season three were the strongest. A Friend In Deed (S03 E08) being my outright favourite.
Just think, if he just made one fake phone call, Columbo would not have gotten the idea to search his suite... A critical misstep.
COLUMBO is an absolute MASTER at spotting those critical missteps.
I think Columbo would have checked the room anyway.
Jackie Cooper gave an outstanding performance. Very convincing as a politician.
What kills me is that most of the time Columbo looks totally wasted while still solving crimes!
I think he wants criminals to think he stupid !
never show your hand until the right moment as they say
This is a very underrated episode.
One of the best Gotchya’s Ever in the Columbo series….
i think this is the best columbo series episode
I love all first-run Columbos, but I can and do literally sometimes play this and Double Exposure on a loop when I'm working in the house . . . I can listen to them over and over and over and never get tired of them.
Another brilliant Columbo episode & finale..how he got his man was brilliant! Peter Falk was superb as always..
He also couldve just pointed at the exploded firecracker on the ground with residue all over the balcony
@@Hyperfoxeye And what would that prove in a vacuum without everything else Columbo cited?
@@Hyperfoxeye lol
Once again Lieutenant Columbo outsmarts the culprit!!! 👍👍
This was one of the best episodes. Well done.
Absolutely love 'Columbo!'
The mind thought process, not blabbing all the time, setting it all up with the evidence.
A 'quiet intelligent' mind.
This is a top ten episode for me. Thank you.
Mine as well - 10 best at least of the NBC iteration 🎬
Another great episode from the 70's with Peter Falk at the top of his game.
Well I'm glad they didn't cut off the "you're under arrest" bit like they did last time they uploaded this clip
That drove me crazy too!
This dude is so cocky. I loved seeing him get caught
The police sergeant contributed to this great scene, his close cooperation with Columbo sealed the deal, his diligence did the trick for the master to crack it.
God I loved this show!!! " The man who fired that gun is in this room"!! Priceless!!!
Rest in powerful peace Peter Falk 🙏
16 September 1927 ~
23 June 2011⚘
Killer's reaction is priceless , just totally devastated
Crime does pay!!!
I've always wondered whether the hotel that Nelson Hayward was staying at ever sent him a bill for the repair expenses for the bullet holes in the window and wall.
the greatest character in the history of television.
That sandwich left sloppily on the table without a saucer is definitely Columbo's.
Nah! He only eats hard boiled eggs and bowls of chilli.
@@dorkarama3135 You're absolutely correct, but you see here's the thing, Columbo took just one bite, didn't like it then left the sandwich on the table.
10:26 wow this guys eyelashes as so highly strung it sound like piano keys when he blinks
Having already seen every Columbo ever made, I love these videos of the last 10 minutes, which neatly recap the entire story.
This is no doubt the best scene i ever watched in all columbo serie. An absolutely masterpiece!
@Angie H. You are sick. Get a life.
@Angie H. LOOL
You're sick. Get a life.
How he tells him that he`s under arrest is so well played.
One of the most arrogant murderers of the whole series, therefore one of my favourite gotchas ever !! 👏👏👏👏👏👏
He was quite funny though. I loved when he said to Columbo "I'm happy to talk about whatever you want , for as long as you want, whenever you want !".
The most arrogant was the killer in Columbo Cries Wolf. He deserved getting caught in a 'gotcha' moment.
Exercise in Fatality.
“A Friend In Deed “
That so humble, "You're under arrest, sir." Great stuff.
Recently, I saw an episode where the killer asked him, "What do you expect to prove by this bit of nonsense?" He answered, "Oh, I don't wanna prove anything, ma'am. I came to arrest ya."
Do you know that episode?
@@torridd S1; E5. _Lady in Waiting_
@@Astrobrant2 Thanks!
One of best episodes of Columbo.
Great!
This is one of my favorite episodes, "Candidate For Crime". While I'm aware that the scene where Heywood lights a firecracker was seen in a similar post "Bulletproof Crime Shattered", this one at least includes the scene in which Heywood stages the shot from the window.
This also shows the complete ending in which Lieutenant Columbo finally says to Heywood, "You're under arrest, sir." Maybe that's nit-picking, but still he can agree that this is a great episode about a political candidate who murders his campaign manager because he knows those threats on his life were phony, plus he's cheating on his wife.
Again, great episode.
Columbo was always so humble and down to earth.
This is my favourite Columbo "gotcha" moment. He wasn't messing around - "you're under arrest sir".
I notice that Sargent Vernon is not exactly a model for safe firearm handling. Gotta love the casual way he waves the gun around in a crowded room.😅
@Jeffrey Martin He actually uses the gun, finger on trigger, to push people out of the room!
Such a great ending in a show full of them.
The unrealistically quiet pistol shot is what always gets me. Supressed or not, people would have heard that shot in the next room 😄
Not on TV. It's one of those old TV tropes. You get hit on the head and knocked unconscious, but are up and running two minutes later; you get amnesia so bad you can't remember who you are until you have a miraculous recovery at the very end of Act IV; you meet the love of your life and fall desperately, hopeless in love in 23 minutes; your gun never runs out of bullets unless it is to set up a dramatic moment . . . (go ahead -- you try one) . . .
The gun had a silencer!!!!- sound deadening devise attached to the barrel!!
For what I understand silencers don’t work on revolvers
HAAAAAAHAAA. The look on his face at the end. His end. LMAOOO
"If I fired the shot."
Classic suspiciously specific denial.
The genius of this show was we all knew what happened, and who did it. But the best part was watching him figure it out.
Exactly. Columbo’s not a “whodunnit”, it’s a “howcatchem”.
@@Chronometry707 But why was he arrested aside from damage to the hotel room ?
THERE'S NEVER BEEN ANOTHER LIKE HIM AND NEVER WILL BE!
Dude, check your caps lock before typing.
@@r0bw00d LOOL
@@r0bw00d dude......., I meant to do that. 🙄
@@tennesseegirl5539 Well, that's even worse.
@@r0bw00d buzzkill
"I dug this bullet out of the wall three hours ago when you said someone fired at you three minutes ago!"
Sergeant was using his service revolver like a flashlight 🔦 in a dark room full of bystanders.
What about the destroyed firecracker.. I remember bits of paper everywhere..AND the sulfur stench is huge!
They could have made a scene where Heyward would throw the firecracker out of the balcony , probably there wasn't time!
@@timi_r0 ZYX.. he can't throw it out before it makes a noise and with all that security, no time after. The sulfur smell is very unique and identifiable to anyone who played with firecrackers as a kid.
That was a weak part in the script indeed..
Sherlock Holmes and Columbo too would have noticed that.
@@thecatvirusgotme889 That's what I said, there was no time!
One of the best shows ever made IMO
This was a great episode especially as the marvellous Vito Scotti was in it. He & Peter Falk have such great chemistry.
Wasn't that him as the restaurant manager in Any Old Port?
I don't understand why all the killers in Columbo try to frame someone or find an alternative explanation for the killing. A cold case with just no evidence would work too.
This is fiction. A cold case with no evidence would make for a boring story.
Because you only try to get away with murder generally once, you probably hate the paranoia that comes with knowing the case isn't closed and you can't relax. Columbo also drops little hints and provocations to effectively goad the suspect into trying to frame someone, he's the master of psychology. I'd also add most suspects have some form of power: wealth, prestige, so they probably have an air of arrogance that removes their caution somewhat
There were a few who tried that. For example in _Murder, Smoke and Shadows_ the murderer electrocutes the victim, takes his body to a beach, and smashes his face with a hammer.
They usually do, until Columbo goads them into providing a possible explanation with one of his “oh, and one more thing …” ployl
Because the killers are almost always pathological narcissists who are so irritated by the fact that Columbo isn't fooled by them, that they feel the need to "outsmart him". And they always end up trying just a little bit too hard, and creating additional evidence against themselves that Columbo couldn't possibly arrest them without.
About 90% of the killers in Columbo doesn't require him to do anything except harass them for long enough that they end up incriminating themselves by trying too hard.
One of Columbo's greatest ever gotchas. A masterpiece.