The Corpus delicti reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

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."

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