Last night (April 6, 2024), on RTL Klub’s program Házon kívül, Dr. Balázs Gellér was asked how it is possible to convict someone of murder when no bodies have been found.

The Hungarian Supreme Court (Kúria) has issued a judgement regarding so-called “no-body” cases. According to Dr. Gellér, “The Supreme Court is essentially reiterating what other courts have already stated: that the fact of death is simply one of the facts to be proven, and it does not necessarily require the body to be found to establish it.”
He added, “From a theoretical legal standpoint, we do not question a conviction for theft simply because the stolen item can no longer be recovered.”

Such rulings may seem unusual to Hungarian legal professionals, but in common law systems, this practice has long been established. In fact, there have even been recent cases in Germany where someone was convicted of murder without the victim’s body ever being found.

The full broadcast is available for replay here: https://www.rtlplusz.hu/hazon-kivul-p_7720