What does corpus delicti provide proof of?

Corpus delicti refers to the principle that there must be evidence that a crime has occurred before an individual can be prosecuted for that crime. It literally means "the body of the crime." This concept ensures that there is a substantiated foundation for the legal proceedings, beyond mere suspicion or assertions.

In criminal law, establishing corpus delicti typically involves demonstrating two fundamental components: the occurrence of a specific event (the crime) and that the event was caused by an individual's actions. For instance, in a homicide case, the corpus delicti would consist of proving that a person died as a result of unlawful actions, rather than from natural causes or accidents.

The other options—witness statements, an alibi, and a suspect's identity—are important aspects of criminal investigations but do not fulfill the specific foundational requirement that a crime has indeed taken place, which is what corpus delicti provides proof of.