What would have been the fate of the murderers? Most of them were well known people in their fields, actors, politicians, photographers etc etc.. So would they have been executed or just face a long jail sentence?

One that I can't help wondering about is Brimmer in DEATH LENDS A HAND. Because he's about the only one who killed someone accidentally without adding a DELIBERATE killing, of a blackmailer or someone like that. The problem is, he himself was a blackmailer! Plus, he committed the accidental killing by hitting someone, so I'm not sure how much that part would help him.

I could honestly see him receiving a long period of probation. He did commit the crimes of abuse of corpse, hindering apprehension, and false reports to law enforcement. The murder was involuntary manslaughter. I have witnessed cases in my previous life of where people who committed such an offense have received probation especially in the absence of a prior criminal record, which I assumed Brimmer did not have. There would also be a big push to have his private detective's license revoked.
He went wrong regarding the other charges. Deceiving the police that it was a case of robbery gone wrong. This could have pushed it to the realm of a prison sentence. He should have just admitted to what have happened, but that is not what a Columbo murderer is all about. Heck he should have just kept his cool and perhaps even contacted the authorities to have the victim charged with felony criminal trespass.

I've said it so many times that maybe I'm a bore about it, but if only Brimmer and Lenore had agreed that they could EACH make trouble for the OTHER (Lenore because of her affair and Brimmer because of the blackmail), and decided to forget the whole thing! But as you say, then there wouldn't be an episode.

I just can't see for the life of me how DR Mayfield in a Stich in Crime would ever be found guilty. The vital clue being the old stiches that were of the non permanent kind were found in Columbo's pocket. There appears to be no other witness to this than Columbo. There seem's to be only circumstantial evidence to tie him to the nurder and the assault. A good lawyer would make mincemeat of that case.

Yes, even if there had been witnesses to Columbo finding the suture, it still might have been tricky.

The same with Dale Kingston, maybe. It would have been trickier for him (because of those gloves), but MAYBE he could have made people listen to what he said about the fingerprints.

Ah, now my question seems to have gone off subject.

My question is would guilty murderers have been executed? Doesn't California have the death penalty?

I can't believe they'd do so to famous actresses, or writers and artists etc???