Corpus Delicti

[Latin, The body of the crime.] The foundation or material substance of a crime.

The phrase corpus delicti might be used to mean the physical object upon which the crime was committed, such as a dead body or the charred remains of a house, or it might signify the act itself, that is, the murder or ARSON.

The corpus delicti is also used to describe the evidence that proves that a crime has been committed.