Discuss corpus delicti in relation to circumstantial evidence
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In all criminal cases, the state or government must prove that (1) a crime has been committed by someone (corpus delicti) and (2) the defendant(s) committed the offense. Most states have adopted a definition of corpus delicti similar to that used by the Supreme Court of California in the 1991 case of People v. Jennings: "The corpus delicti of a crime consists of two elements, the fact of the injury or loss or harm, and the existence of a criminal agency as its cause." The corpus delicti of most crimes is ordinarily proved by direct evidence, as when the victim or a witness tells the police of the crime. The corpus delicti of other crimes is proved by physical evidence; for example, the corpus delicti of a burglary is shown by a broken window and missing valuables. The corpus delicti of a murder could be proved by a dead body with a knife in the chest.
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