Evidence Direct Circumstantial

Eyewitness testimony that a person was seen fleeing from the scene of a crime; A person's fingerprints found at the scene of the crime alongside other people's fingerprints;

Forensic evidence Other examples of circumstantial evidence are fingerprint analysis, blood analysis or DNA analysis of the evidence found at the scene of a crime.However, when proved by expert witnesses, they are usually sufficient to decide a case, especially in the absence of any direct evidence.

Circumstantial evidence is proof of a fact or set of facts from which one could infer the fact in question. For example, that a suspect is seen running away from a murder scene with a weapon in hand is circumstantial evidence he committed the murder.

Sometimes it is easier to understand the difference with an example. If your brother comes to you and says he saw it snow today, then there is direct evidence that it was snowing. If your brother told you that he woke up and saw snow on the ground, then there is circumstantial evidence that it snowed.

Is circumstantial evidence used in California criminal courts? Yes, it is admissible in all state and federal courts. It is frequently used in California criminal trials.

The notion that one cannot be convicted on circumstantial evidence is, of course, false. Most criminal convictions are based on circumstantial evidence, although it must be adequate to meet established standards of proof. See also hearsay.

Circumstantial evidence usually is that which suggests a fact by implication or inference: the appearance of the scene of a crime, testimony that suggests a connection or link with a crime, physical evidence that suggests criminal activity.

Criminal law does allow prosecutors to convict a defendant using just circumstantial evidence. In fact, this proof is not considered to be inherently less reliable than direct proof.