Stephen Krzyston is a Columbia, South Carolina, attorney who provides knowledgeable criminal and personal injury defense at Cavanaugh & Thickens, LLC. Experienced in impeaching the credibility of forensic evidence delivered by state investigators, Stephen Krzyston is knowledgeable about bloodstain pattern analysis (BPA).
What may at first seem to be a random distribution of crime scene bloodstains is actually categorizable by various marks, transfers, and voids that enable a recreation of the event sequence following bloodshed. One aspect of this is that, while blood is liquid in the body and exits as such, it does not remain this way long. After a few minutes, it starts to clot, forming a gel-like substance that solidifies over time. When clots are present in the blood splatter, it suggests that the victim bled for some time after the injury was inflicted or that a prolonged attack occurred. The primary three categories of bloodstains are projected or impact stains, transfer stains, and passive stains. The latter include flows, pools, and drops and are usually caused by the force of gravity on an injured body. The projection of blood causes impact stains through the air and typically takes the form of spatter, but can also be splashes, gushes, and arterial spurts. Finally, transfer stains result from something coming into contact with existing bloodstains. This results in swipes, wipes, and pattern transfers from elements, such as when a body is dragged, or a shoe print emerges due to stepping in blood. Additionally, blood spatter can be either impact or projection spatter. The latter involves forces such as arterial spurting, while the former involves a force, such as a bullet, being applied to a source of liquid blood. The complexity involved is immense: in addition to the motion of an object, the surface on which the blood spatters, whether bedsheets or a concrete floor, is also crucial in analysis.
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A Columbia, South Carolina-based attorney, Stephen Krzyston earned his JD from Charleston School of Law. He works at Cavanaugh & Thickens in Columbia. Professionally, Stephen Krzyston is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), which runs the NACDL Foundation for Criminal Justice (NFCJ).
NFCJ is a 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit that aims to preserve and promote the values of America’s justice system. The foundation runs several initiatives to reform criminal justice, including a Diversity Summer Law Fellowship. The Diversity Summer Law Fellowship gives paid internship opportunities to law students with historically underrepresented backgrounds, encouraging them to pursue careers in criminal defense. The students can attend a summer internship at a law firm or choose from one of NACDL’s pool of potential employers. They receive $562 per week for eight weeks of work and can earn up to $4,500 in the summer. The fellowship program is open to first and second-year law students from ABA-accredited law schools. They must be in good academic standing and have a historically underrepresented background. This includes racial minorities and persons with disabilities. To apply for the fellowship, a student must apply to NFCJ. The application should include their resume and brief writing sample. NFCJ prioritizes students who demonstrate dedication to criminal justice through their academic schoolwork, extracurricular activities, and previous employment. A criminal defense attorney with more than a decade of experience, Stephen Krzyston has held several positions within various legal organizations. In 2019 he joined Cavanaugh & Thickens, a law practice that provides legal representation for criminal defense and personal injury matters. As part of his work, Stephen Krzyston represents clients facing criminal charges in South Carolina's state and federal courts.
In South Carolina's criminal offense classification system, class A felonies are serious criminal offenses that are punishable by up to 30 years in jail. Examples of class A felonies are attempted murder, voluntary manslaughter, carjacking which results in serious bodily injury, and criminal sexual conduct. These offenses are typically violent in nature. South Carolina law also delineates certain crimes that are subject to variable penalties - exempt felonies. These crimes are not included in the state's criminal offense classification system, hence the “exempt” appellation. Examples of exempt felonies in South Carolina are first degree burglary (punishable by 15 years to life imprisonment), human trafficking (punishable by up to 45 years imprisonment, depending on repeat offense), murder (punishable by 30 years to life in prison), first-degree sexual conduct with a minor (punishable by 25 years imprisonment), and illegal possession of marijuana (punishable by five years in prison, fine, and tax penalty). Stephen Krzyston is a trial lawyer. He obtained his Juris Doctor degree at the Charleston School of Law. Stephen Krzyston serves as an attorney at Cavanaugh & Thickens.
For criminal trials, it's best to obtain the right lawyer. Understanding how to select such an attorney is essential for defendants. The following are three tips to consider in the attorney selection process. Case Type Experience: Finding a criminal defense lawyer who has successfully defended another defendant in the same case type should become a priority when selecting an attorney. Experience is essential since the professional is already familiar with the elements of the situation. Experience in the Jurisdiction Area: Consider criminal defense lawyers in the vicinity of the trial. Lawyers in the setting understand the laws peculiar to that jurisdiction better. Approachability and Communication Skills: Examine how well they communicate and listen to you, as it can affect how you express yourself to them. Defendants have the opportunity to find out these skills during the initial consultation. 10/18/2022 Understanding an Alford PleaStephen Krzyston is a South Carolina attorney with more than a decade of professional experience. Since 2019, Stephen Krzyston has served as an attorney at Cavanaugh & Thickens where he focuses on litigation, including criminal defense matters such as the Alford Plea.
An Alford Plea is when a defendant maintains their innocence, but does not wish to proceed to trial as the prosecution has strong evidence a defendant believes will lead to a conviction. A defendant who successfully gives an Alford plea can be sued later in a civil court over the same case and cannot challenge the guilty plea in a civil case. An Alford plea shares similarities with a guilty plea because it is not possible to avoid a conviction. However, defendants who plead guilty through the Alford plea can face less serious penalties as opposed to going through a trial as courts often handle this plea differently from a standard guilty plea. The main reason defendants opt for an Alford plea is because they don’t have sufficient evidence to sustain a defense case or an alibi’s testimony is weak. In most cases, the defense evidence lacks strength compared to the prosecution, making it hard to avoid a conviction. In this case, the defendant knows they’re not in a position to successfully defend accusations against them, so they don’t admit guilt, but they accept the penalties that come with a conviction. Stephen Krzyston is an accomplished attorney who served as an assistant public defender for Richland County, South Carolina, from 2012 to 2019. After leaving the public defender's office, Stephen Krzyston joined the law firm Cavanaugh & Thickens, where he represents clients facing criminal charges and those injured due to negligence.
If you’re injured due to a company or individual’s negligence, you may sue for damages from the negligent entity or their insurer. For example, if you slip and fall at a supermarket because milk had been spilled on the floor, you could claim compensation because a hazardous condition caused you to fall and become injured. Assuming a successful trial outcome or settlement, the compensation you get will depend on the extent of your injuries. Damages you could claim include: 1. Medical expenses. This will reimburse you for the cost of medical treatment incurred following your injury. If your injuries require long-term treatment, that cost should also be included in your medical expenses claim. 2. Lost wages. You may not work for a period after your accident caused by negligence. The negligent party should pay you for lost income for those weeks or months you were unable to work. If you’re unable to resume work or work as efficiently as you did before your injury, a personal injury attorney can also claim future lost wages, which is compensation for the money lost because of your reduced productivity. 3. Physical and mental pain. An injury can cause significant physical and mental anguish. You can ask your attorney to claim compensation for the pain and emotional stress experienced. Personal Injury attorneys have means of calculating how much pain and suffering compensation you should be entitled to. |
AuthorStephen Krzyston - South Carolina Attorney With Criminal Defense Focus. Archives
October 2022
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