From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishexculpateex‧cul‧pate /ˈekskʌlpeɪt/ verb [transitive] formalSCTPROVE to prove that someone is not guilty of something —exculpation /ˌekskʌlˈpeɪʃən/ noun [uncountable]→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
exculpate• The grand jury exculpated local authorities for their handling of the riots.Origin exculpate (1600-1700) Medieval Latin past participle of exculpare, from Latin culpa “blame” 