Which is an example of Circumstantial (Indirect) Evidence?

• A. The witness testified seeing the defendant commit the crime.
• B. The street was wet the night before.
• C. A confession by the defendant.
• D. A video recording of the crime.

Answer: (B)

Circumstantial evidence relies on inferences to connect a fact to the issue at hand; it does not prove the fact by itself. The fact that the street was wet last night by itself doesn’t prove that a crime happened or who committed it—it could be due to rain, a street-cleaning, or a spilled liquid, and you’d need other facts to tie it to the case.

Direct evidence, by contrast, directly proves a fact without needing inferences. Seeing someone commit the crime, a confession, or a video of the event all directly establish that the act occurred and/or who did it.

So the street being wet fits the idea of circumstantial evidence: it hints at conditions but doesn’t directly prove the crime or the defendant’s involvement.