Abstract
Abstract Corpus delicti, directly translated from Latin, means the “body of the crime.” Every type of crime has its own corpus delicti. The term details the elements that need to exist in order for an act to be legally defined as a crime. There are five elements required before an act can legally be defined as a crime. Two of those elements, actus reus and mens rea, are of more importance in establishing the precise corpus delicti, while the remaining three are of more general application. The “corpus delicti rule” requires the prosecution to present independent evidence—more than a confession—of the corpus delicti. However, over the past 50 years, the acceptance of the corpus delicti rule has changed in some states to a less restrictive “corroboration rule.”
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