Direct

Direct evidence is a general term for any type of evidence that links a defendant directly to a crime. Examples of direct evidence include:

• Eyewitness accounts of the crime

• A recorded confession by the defendant

• A defendant's fingerprints on a weapon used to commit a crime

• Surveillance footage of a defendant committing a crime

Direct evidence is typically easy to understand for a jury. For instance, if a jury watches a video of a defendant committing a crime, it typically requires no further examination or testing. However, they may evaluate an eyewitness statement to determine whether the event transpired in the same way it occurred on video.