Corpus delicti

Corpus delicti is a legal term that refers to the body or substance of a crime. It means that in a criminal case there needs to be proof that a crime happened. This means that if someone is accused of a crime, the court must prove that something criminal was actually done. For example, if someone was accused of stealing a car, the police must show the car as evidence. This is the corpus delicti and it helps prove that the crime happened.