The concept of motive is central to the criminal justice system. Black's Law Dictionary defines motive as,

cause a reason that moves their will and induces action, an inducement or that which leads or tempts the mind to indulge a criminal act.

People commonly conflate criminal intent and motive, but Black's Law Dictionary defines the difference between the two.

It notes that, in law, there is a distinction between them.

Motive is the moving power which impels to action for a definite result.

Intent is the purpose to use a particular means

to affect such result. The idea of motive is a moving power goes all the way back to

the origin of the word. It traces its roots all the way back to the old French word motif,

which meant having control of motion, causing motion, having power to move someone or something.

In the prosecution of CJ Rice, both the modern meaning of motive and the old French meaning

of motif come into play, both in his initial trial and his recent exoneration. But the discovery

that led to CJ being set free wasn't done by a lawyer.

Instead, it was found by one of my students at the University of South Carolina School of Law.

This discovery was a needle in a haystack that she found a working on another innocence case that we were working.

And now, that student is a public defender, and both of the men that she helped exonerate are on the path to becoming lawyers themselves.

Hi, and welcome back to Undisclosed Toward Justice. I'm Rob Yadjadji. I'm an attorney and advocate. I'm here with my colleague, Colin Miller.

Hi, this is Colin Miller. I'm a professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law, and I blog at Evidence Prof blog.

On the evening of September 3, 2011, C.J. Rice and his friend Tyler Linder were riding their

bikes near the intersection of South Forth and Wharton Streets in South Philadelphia.

The block was filled with brownstones, and on the corner was the yellow awning for Castillo

grocery store.

CJ was 17 years old at the time.

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