autodelatarse

To turn oneself in or confess one's own wrongdoing to authorities, often used of criminals or corrupt officials who confess without being caught first. Formal/journalistic register, common in crime and political reporting.

• El sospechoso se autodelató ante la policía tras días de presión. — The suspect turned himself in to the police after days of pressure.
• Nadie esperaba que el testigo se autodelatara durante el juicio. — No one expected the witness to incriminate himself during the trial.
• Autodelatarse no siempre reduce la condena, pero suele mostrarse como atenuante. — Turning oneself in doesn't always reduce the sentence, but it's usually treated as a mitigating factor.

Learners sometimes use it as a general synonym for confesar — autodelatarse specifically implies confessing one's own crime or wrongdoing to authorities, not just admitting any personal fact.

Often confused with confesar.