not guilty

not guilty definition - legal

n

  1. A determination by a jury that the evidence is insufficient to convict the defendant beyond a reasonable doubt.
  2. A defendantÂ’s plea in court denying the prosecutionÂ’s charges.
not guilty by reason of insanity
A jury verdict or plea that acknowledges that the defendant committed the crime but states that he or she was not responsible for his or her actions by reason of a mental disease or defect, and so could not have formed the requisite mens rea, and therefore, is not guilty.

Webster's New World Law Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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