accessory before the fact

Primary tabs

An accessory before-the-fact is a  person who aids, abets, or encourages another to commit a crime but who is not present at the scene. An accessory before the fact, like an accomplice may be held criminally liable to the same extent as the principal. Many jurisdictions refer to an accessory before the fact as an accomplice.

See  Evans v. State, 145 So. 3d 674 (Miss. 2014); accessory

[Last updated in January of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team]