Charrine Dartez Lucas appeals his conviction for malice murder.1 Witnesses at trial testified that Lucas engaged in a confrontation with a woman and two men which led to a fist-fight with one of the men. Lucas broke free, entered his uncle’s house where he sometimes lived, got two knives from the kitchen, and went back outside. The man with whom Lucas fought had since left the area, but the other man, Gary Kaigler, intervened when Lucas attempted to cut or stab the woman. Lucas’s uncle testified Lucas shouted, “I’m going to get you . . .,” and his aunt testified Lucas exchanged words with Kaigler and began to fight. Lucas’s uncle said he tried to intervene, but got out of the way when he saw Lucas swing a knife and stab Kaigler. Lucas stabbed Kaigler 23 times, causing his death, then went back into his uncle’s home, changed his clothes, and left. He was soon arrested nearby. Lucas testified at trial that the initial confrontation was started by the woman and that her two male companions then jointly attacked him. Hearing one of them call for a weapon, Lucas claimed he went into the house, and out of concern for his sleeping relatives, went back outside with a knife, where he was attacked. He testified that he defended himself until his uncle broke up the fight, then became disoriented and afraid and roamed around the neighborhood until he was arrested. Lucas presented good character evidence from four witnesses at trial. 1. The evidence that Lucas fought with Kaigler’s companion, then armed himself and returned to stab Kaigler to death was sufficient to authorize a rational trier of fact to find him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of murder. Jackson v. Virginia , 443 U.S. 307 99 SC 2781, 61 LE2d 560 1979; Sutton v. State , 264 Ga. 222 1 443 SE2d 481 1994.
2. In his sole enumeration of error, Lucas contends he was denied effective representation of counsel by trial counsel’s failure to request a jury charge on good character evidence. Having adduced evidence of good character, Lucas was entitled, upon request, to a charge on the subject. Chastain v. State , 177 Ga. App. 236 2 339 SE2d 298 1985. At the hearing on his motion for new trial, Lucas’s trial counsel admitted that, having put on four character witnesses, he should have requested the charge.
