Motive - the reason or intention behind the crime.
Means - the ability or resources to commit the crime.
Opportunity - the chance or circumstances that allowed the suspect to commit the crime.
One thing I have learned is that in order to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the suspect actually committed the crime in question, the police must show motive, means, and opportunity. Motive is the reason the crime was committed. As Lieutenant Provenza of the LAPD's Major Crimes division would say, "It's always the husband," because spouses always have the most motivation.
A crime always has a reason, even if that reason is random violence. So finding the motivation for the crime will help determine the suspect. Next, the police must show that the suspect had the means or the ability to commit the crime! This means that the 98 pound teenager maybe didn't strangle his 250 pound neighbor or the woman with no hands couldn't have shot the sheriff. Finally, they must determine the opportunity to commit the crime. Here's where everyone's favorite cop show word, alibi, comes into play. If the suspect can't be placed at the scene of the crime while it was being committed, they police have failed to answer the challenge of reasonable doubt.
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