California, United States of America
The following excerpt is from People v. Sehmbey, F069142, F069567 (Cal. App. 2016):
"In every criminal trial, the prosecution must prove the corpus delicti, or the body of the crime itself - i.e., the fact of injury, loss, or harm, and the existence of a criminal agency as its cause." (People v. Alvarez (2002) 27 Cal.4th 1161, 1168-1169.) The prosecution must establish the corpus delicti independent from the admissions of the defendant, thus assuring the accused does not admit to a crime that did not occur. (Id. at p. 1169.) "The independent proof may be circumstantial and need not be beyond a reasonable doubt, but is sufficient if it permits an inference of criminal conduct, even if a noncriminal explanation is also plausible. [Citations.] There is no requirement of
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