1. (law) criminal intent; the thoughts and intentions behind a wrongful act (including knowledge that the act is illegal); often at issue in murder trials; [syn: mens rea, malice aforethought]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
mens rea
n 1: (law) criminal intent; the thoughts and intentions behind a
wrongful act (including knowledge that the act is illegal);
often at issue in murder trials [syn: mens rea, malice
aforethought]