noun
corpus delicti; evidence of guilt
Legal term referring to the concrete evidence that a crime has been committed, such as a body in a murder case or stolen goods in a theft case. Used in formal legal contexts.
裁判では有罪証拠が決定的な役割を果たした。
The corpus delicti played a decisive role in the trial.
検察側は有罪証拠として凶器を提出した。
The prosecution submitted the weapon as evidence of guilt.
証拠 is the general term for 'evidence' in any context, while 有罪証拠 specifically refers to evidence that proves a crime has been committed (corpus delicti).
物証 means 'physical evidence' or 'material evidence', which can be part of the corpus delicti, but 有罪証拠 is a broader legal concept that includes the body of the crime itself.
Compound of 有罪 (guilt) and 証拠 (evidence). The term is a direct translation of the Latin legal phrase 'corpus delicti'.