On June 6, 2005, James Lynn Nichols, who was a truck driver, shot Rodwell Jones, Jr. several times following an altercation between the two men at a gas station. The victim died from the gunshot wounds he sustained. After a jury trial in March 2006, at which Nichols claimed that he acted in self-defense, he was convicted of malice murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. This Court reversed the conviction due to evidentiary error. Nichols v. State , 282 Ga. 401 651 SE2d 15 2007. Following retrial in April 2008, a jury found Nichols guilty of malice murder, felony murder, and aggravated assault. Treating the felony murder verdict as surplusage and merging the aggravated assault count into the malice murder, the trial court entered judgment of conviction on the malice murder verdict and again imposed a sentence of life imprisonment. Following an evidentiary hearing, a motion for new trial was denied, and Nichols appeals.1 1. The evidence at retrial was sufficient for a rational trier of fact to reject Nichols’ claim of self-defense and to find him guilty of malice murder beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson v. Virginia , 443 U. S. 307 99 SC 2781, 61 LE2d 560 1979; Nichols v. State , supra at 402 1.
2. Nichols contends that his counsel at trial was ineffective in two respects. To prevail on a claim of ineffective assistance of trial counsel pursuant to Strickland v. Washington , 466 U. S. 668 104 SC 2052, 80 LE2d 674 1984, a defendant “must show counsel’s performance was deficient and that the deficient performance prejudiced him to the point that a reasonable probability exists that, but for counsel’s errors, the outcome of the trial would have been different. A strong presumption exists that counsel’s conduct falls within the broad range of professional conduct.” Cit. Sanders v. State , 283 Ga. 372, 374 2 659 SE2d 376 2008. ” ‘ “ On appeal, this Court accepts the trial court’s findings of fact, unless they are clearly erroneous. However, the trial court’s legal conclusions are reviewed de novo. Cit.” Cit.’ Cit.” Timmreck v. State , 285 Ga. 39, 42 3 673 SE2d 198 2009.
