Corpus delicti
Corpus delicti: Latin for "the body of the crime." The principle that the prosecution must prove a crime actually occurred — generally that the injury or loss happened and was caused by someone's criminal act — and, in most jurisdictions, that a conviction cannot rest on a defendant's uncorroborated confession alone. In federal court, the Supreme Court has required substantial independent evidence tending to establish a confession's trustworthiness (Opper v. United States, 348 U.S. 84 (1954)). It does not mean a physical body.
What corpus delicti means
Put simply, corpus delicti is part of the working vocabulary of a civil case. The short definition above covers the usual meaning. Still, a specific rule, statute or contract can give it a narrower meaning. For that reason, check how it is used in your own documents.
Where corpus delicti comes up
The term is used across many kinds of cases. For example, you may see it in pleadings, motions and court orders. To see it in context, browse the motions and procedures library or the Learn the Law topics.
How to research the term
To research corpus delicti, begin with the rule, statute or contract where the word is used. Each one can give it a slightly different meaning. Then compare that text with how courts in your area have applied it. Also check the local rules of your court, since they can add requirements. If your case is in state court, the state rules control. So start with our state procedures guide to find them. In the end, always confirm that the source you rely on is current.
You can read the current federal court rules online for free.
Related legal terms
- Convey: to transfer title to, or an interest in, property — usually real estate — from one person to another, typically by a deed. The transfer is called a conveyance.
- Corporation: an artificial person created under a state or federal statute, usually by filing articles of incorporation, that can own property, make contracts, and sue or be sued in its own name, separate from its shareholders.
- Corporation sole: a corporation made up of a single office and the successive people who hold it, used for example by some religious officials to hold property for the office rather than for themselves.
- Corpus: latin for "body." In trust law, the trust corpus is the property held in a trust, also called the principal or the trust res. The word also appears in phrases such as habeas corpus.
Why precise terms matter
Legal words often look like everyday words, but they can carry a precise meaning. Because of that, a small misreading can change how you understand a deadline, a duty or a right. Our glossary keeps each definition short and links it to the procedures where it matters.
Sources
Sources last reviewed: 2026-10-24
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