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."