claims or evidence that someone was somewhere else when a crime happened, or excuses used to avoid blame.
From Latin 'alibi' meaning 'elsewhere' or 'at another place'—literally 'alius' (other) and 'ibi' (there). It entered English legal terminology in the 18th century and expanded to general excuses.
DNA evidence has exonerated many people based on broken alibis, revealing that eyewitness testimony and alibis—what juries trusted most—are actually the least reliable forms of evidence in criminal cases.
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