Corpus delicti (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 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."
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.
