The Elements of a Crime:
#2 Conduct

Conduct (actus reus) refers to the objective element of a crime. Actus reus is the Latin term for “guilty act.” When a guilty act and guilty mind are proven together, beyond a reasonable doubt, it equates to criminal liability. So for actus reus to occur, there has to have been a criminal act—a bodily movement, voluntary or involuntary.

So, you ask, was there a bodily movement—a guilty act—for me?

Yeah, you could say there was definitely one of those.

There were a few of them, actually.

And when those acts were done, I watched someone die.

One minute, I had someone’s life in my hands. The next, I stood by as it slipped away.