In 2006, John Mark Karr claimed he was present at the death of Jon Benet Ramsey, who had been found dead in Colorado in 1996. Karr claimed to have drugged and sexual assaulted Ramsey, but that her death was an accident. Define corpus delecti and explain how this concept applies to this confession.

What will be an ideal response?


Corpus delecti is the necessity to prove the substance of a crime. It requires more than just a “dead body”, but a relationship of the act of the defendant to the crime. This term means the body, foundation and substance of the crime which normally includes two elements: the act and the criminal agency of the act. It is the necessity of proving the elements of the crime and connecting the defendant with those elements.

Legal Studies & Paralegal

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