Exculpatory evidence is any evidence that clears an accused individual from blame. The movie “12 Angry Men” tells the story of a young man who is accused of murdering his father. We see this young man found not guilty after the jury uncovers multiple examples of exculpatory evidence.

One such example of exculpatory evidence would be the murder weapon itself: a switchblade. At first, it seems like evidence that would lead to the accused’s conviction, as it is assumed that this type of knife is rare and unique. However, juror 8 disproves this when he bought a very similar knife, not far from the location of the crime scene. This evidence exonerates the accused by discrediting the prosecution’s claim that only the accused could have had possession of the murder weapon.