Commonwealth v. Maybee

Opinion by

Mr. Justice Roberts,

It has long been, fundamental to the criminal jurisprudence of this Commonwealth that a necessary predicate to any conviction is proof of the corpus delicti, i.e., the occurrence of an injury or loss and someone’s criminality as the source of this injury or loss.. See Commonwealth v. Burns, 409 Pa. 619, 627, 187 A. 2d 552, 556-57 (1963); Commonwealth v. Turza, 340 Pa. 128, 133, 16 A. 2d 401, 404 (1940). Although the corpus delicti may be proven by circumstantial evidence, see Commonwealth v. Homeyer, 373 Pa. 150, 94 A. 2d 743 (1953); Commonwealth v. Gardner, 282…