Wpływ wyjaśnień osoby oskarżonej, w tym przyznanie się do winy i jego odwołanie, na proces poszlakowy w sprawie o zabójstwo
The impact of an accused person’s explanations, including a confession and its appeal, on a circumstantial trial in a murder case

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the article is to analyse the behaviour of suspects during preparatory proceedings and defendants during court proceedings in terms of confessions, appeals of confession, providing explanations, changing these explanations and refusing to admit guilt, as well as the impact of their behaviour on the course and outcome of circumstantial trials in murder cases. The analysis shows that the suspects/accused undertake various actions to shift the suspicions of the investigating authorities, especially when the victim’s body cannot be found. To a large extent, they follow a belief that if there is no body, then there is no crime. The perpetrators in the analysed cases refused to provide explanations, refused to answer questions, confessed, appealed their confessions, provided explanations, changed their explanations and slandered other persons, claiming that the others had committed or participated in the crime. In most of the cases in question, the line of defence adopted by the defendants had no impact on the outcome of the trial, in which the perpetrators were convicted. Any possible impact can only be seen in the punishment to which they were ultimately sentenced. The explanations provided by some of the suspects during the preparatory proceedings made it possible to direct the investigation and reconstruct the course of the incident, whereas subsequent appeals of confession and multiple changes to the explanations did not affect such findings. The article is based on an analysis of court files concerning eight circumstantial homicide cases, in which the perpetrators were convicted despite a lack of corpus delicti.

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