the martin fitzgerald impostor (died january 1, 2000) was hired by alistair crane in 1999 to impersonate the real martin fitzgerald in order for alistair to institute an insurance scam and play with the vulnerable emotions of the lopez-fitzgerald family. apparently julian crane believed that the impostor was the real martin. the impostor, enraged for being used by the cranes, decided to finish them off one by one, first targeting sheridan crane during a new year's eve party. however, he accidentally died while struggling with sheridan and luis lopez-fitzgerald near a glass roof and fell to his death. later dna tests proved he was a fraud.