corpus delicti

corpus de·lic·ti

noun \-di-ˈlik-ˌtī, -(ˌ)tē\

plural corpora delicti

Definition of CORPUS DELICTI

1

: the substantial and fundamental fact (as, in murder, actual death and its occurrence as a result of criminal agency) necessary to prove the commission of a crime

2

: the material substance (as the body of the victim of a murder) upon which a crime has been committed