I can never help wondering how many victims look like people you'd think twice about trying to kill because they just seem too tough, either because of them or the actors, or both.
Two of the ones I can name don't entirely count, because the killings are spur of the moment ones.
Those would be Stephen Elliott in Deadly State of Mind and Gary Conway in Any Old Port In A Storm (at least his getting hit on the head is spur of the moment).
Two others I can name are Michael Gazzo in Murder Under Glass (especially if the murderer tried something besides poison) and Robert Middleton in Double Exposure.
I left out Allen Mallory in Publish Or Perish. I'd think twice about trying to murder a Mickey Spillane character, or even sending a scary John Chandler character to do it.
And of course, Chandler is another one. So that's two in one episode.
I always thought that Forrest Tucker (Beau Williamson) was this big, huge, tough guy. But he folded like a tent when the pencil-pushing Elliot Markham pointed a pistol at him. Why walk into the shed? Aren't your chances better out in the open?
I know the question was about murder victims, but I thought that I'd mention that Columbo took a chance telling the nasty Mrs. Goodland about Ken Nichols willing to accept money to leave her. That actor who played Nichols was a big guy and he always played some type of goon on other shows. He could have knocked Columbo into the Pacific, lol. Also, Columbo was kind of betraying Gloria West who was already a nervous wreck. Not his best moment.