Fruit of the poisonous tree

Fruit of the poisonous tree is a legal term in the United States that allows evidence that is obtained illegally (often unconstitutionally), as well as subsequent evidence legally obtained if said evidence was only made available by the illegally obtained evidence, to be ruled inadmissible in a court of law. It is also called the exclusionary rule.

For example, if a suspect has a confession beat out of him, and during the course of that confession, details to authorities to the location of a victim's body, and the authorities obtain a search warrant and recover the body, neither the confession nor the body can be used against the suspect in criminal proceedings.

See also

• MAPP v. OHIO, 367 U.S. 643 (1961)