What is the difference between direct and circumstantial evidence?

In criminal proceedings in Hawaii, there are two kinds of evidence that can be used to prove a case: direct evidence and circumstantial evidence. Direct evidence is evidence that directly proves or disproves a fact without requiring any inference. It can be made of eyewitness testimony, physical evidence, and documents. It is evidence that has a strong influence on an argument before the court. Circumstantial evidence, on the other hand, is evidence that does not directly prove or disprove a fact but instead infers that something is true by a chain of logic. Such evidence includes physical evidence and documents that point to an inference that a crime was committed. It may be less convincing than direct evidence, but it can still be used to convict someone. To use an example - if someone witnessed a criminal attack, they would provide direct evidence. But if they saw the person running away from the scene of the crime and the person matched the physical description of the attacker, that would be circumstantial evidence. In the end, direct and circumstantial evidence can both be used to convict a person in criminal cases in Hawaii.

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What is the difference between direct and circumstantial evidence?

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