Corpus delicti (Latin: "body of crime") is a term from Western jurisprudence which refers to the principle that it must be proven that a crime has occurred before a person can be convicted of committing 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." Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... For alternative meanings for The West in the United States, see the U.S. West and American West. ... Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. ... In the United States, larceny is a common law crime involving stealing. ... Property designates those things that are commonly recognized as being the possessions of a person or group. ... The Skyline Parkway Motel in Afton, Virginia after an arson fire on July 9, 2004. ... Blacks Law Dictionary, 7th edition Blacks Law Dictionary is the definitive law dictionary for the law of the United States. ... Look up fact in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

In the Anglo-American legal system, the concept has its outgrowth in several principles. Many jurisdictions hold as a legal rule that a defendant's out-of-court confession, alone, is not sufficient evidence to prove the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. A corollary to this rule is that an accused cannot be convicted solely upon the testimony of an accomplice. Some jurisdictions also hold that without first showing independent corroboration that a crime happened, the prosecution may not introduce evidence of the defendant's statement.

Trivia

Evidence in the case of British serial killer John George Haigh indicated that he decided to destroy the bodies of his victims with acid because he had the mistaken belief that, in the absence of a corpse, murder could not be proven because there was no corpus delicti. Haigh had misinterpreted the Latin word corpus as a literal body rather than a figurative one. John George Haigh (July 24, 1909 – August 10, 1949) was a serial killer in England in the 1940s. ... With regard to living things, a body is the integral physical material of an individual, and contrasts with soul, personality and behavior. ...

See also

• Leonard Ewing Scott

Robert Leonard Ewing Scott was convicted in 1959, in California, of having murdered his wife. ...

External Links

• Video of author Marc Stevens talking about corpus delicti