suspect
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suspect
A person who is suspected by the investigating authorities of having committed a specific criminal offense. It is a preliminary stage before charges are filed.
Die Polizei konnte nach dem Überfall schnell einen Tatverdächtigen ermitteln.
After the robbery, the police were quickly able to identify a suspect.
The word is made up of 'die Tat' (the criminal act) and 'Verdächtiger' (suspect). It therefore describes a person who is suspected of having committed a specific act.
Die Beschreibung des Zeugen passte genau auf den Tatverdächtigen.
The witness's description matched the suspect exactly.
This noun was derived from an adjective, 'verdächtig' (suspicious), and is declined like an adjective. The ending changes depending on the article and case.
Die Polizei befragt den Tatverdächtigen.
The police are questioning the suspect.
This word belongs to formal language and is used mainly in legal contexts, by the police, or in the news. It emphasizes that the person's guilt has not yet been proven.
In der Pressemitteilung der Polizei wurde von zwei Tatverdächtigen gesprochen.
The police press release mentioned two suspects.
perpetrator / culprit
'der Täter' and 'der Tatverdächtige' both belong to the area of police and crime, but they do not mean the same thing. 'der Täter' is the person who actually committed the act. 'der Tatverdächtige' is only a person who is suspected. Whether they are really guilty is not yet certain. These words are easy to confuse, especially in the news. The important point is: a suspect may later be confirmed as the perpetrator, but before that you should not call them the Täter.
Am Montag gilt ein Nachbar als Tatverdächtiger, aber die Ermittlungen laufen noch.
On Monday, a neighbor is considered a suspect, but the investigation is still ongoing.
Die Polizei hat den Täter nach kurzer Flucht festgenommen.
The police arrested the perpetrator after a short escape.