physical evidence
Material courtroom exhibits
Physical evidence is tangible material that can be examined, tested, or presented in legal proceedings—fingerprints, DNA samples, weapons, documents, bloodstains.
Distinguished from testimonial evidence (what witnesses say) and circumstantial evidence (inferences from facts), physical evidence carries particular weight because it exists independently of human memory or credibility: The physical evidence contradicted the suspect's alibi.
- fingerprintsRidge patterns identifying individuals
- bloodstainsDried hemoglobin discolorations
- pottery shardsBroken ceramic fragments
- burial sitesPlaces for interring remains
- fibersThreadlike structural strands
hair samples · cave paintings · tree rings · inscriptions · fossilized remains · architectural ruins · chemical residues · ancient tools · experimental data · ballistics · shell casings · tire tracks · autopsy · tangible · forensic · witness · footprint · exhibit
- atrocity evidencewitness testimony, witness accounts, mass graves, forensic reports, trial records
- evidenceproof, admissible, findings, inadmissible, results
- proofverification, attestation, corroboration, certification, documentation
- court evidenceexhibit, fingerprints, ballistics, photograph, video
- trial proceedingsopening statements, closing arguments, cross-examination, objections, sustained
- trial evidencewitness testimony, exhibits, fingerprints, audio recordings, expert witness
physical evidencetestimonial evidence
Proof from oral statements
testimony · oral testimony · witness testimony · hearsay · eyewitness account
physical evidencecircumstantial evidence
Facts requiring inference
indirect evidence · hearsay evidence · anecdotal evidence · intuitive knowledge
evidence, physical, physics, physician, physically, evidences, nonphysical, metaphysical, evidencing