Corpus delicti
Corpus delicti (from
Latin: "
body of crime") term from
Western jurisprudence which refers to the principle that it must be proven that a crime has occurred, before a person can be tried for the
crime. For example, a person cannot be tried for
larceny, unless it can be proven that
property has been stolen. Likewise, in order for a person to be tried for
arson, it must be proven that a criminal act resulted in the burning of a property.
Black's Law Dictionary (6th ed.) defines "
corpus delicti" as: "the
fact of a crime having been actually committed."