"Accused" is a person who has been arrested for or formally charged with a crime. It is a generic name for the defendant in a criminal case.
This case from Tennessee, explains that a person becomes "accused" for purposes of speedy trial guarantees of Tennessee and United States Constitutions, when an arrest warrant is issued, a person has been arrested and held to answer a criminal charge, or a grand jury has returned indictment or presentment charging the person with commission of a crime.
[Last updated in December of 2021 by the Wex Definitions Team]