At Jackson’s birthday-party confrontation with Norman, Jackson and Castle were accused of shooting him; a jury acquitted them of malice murder but convicted both of felony murder and related offenses. On appeal, Jackson challenged counsel’s handling of defenses, evidence, and jury instructions, while Castle disputed his battery conviction, counsel’s strategy, and separate sentences for two aggravated assaults. The Supreme Court of Georgia affirmed both judgments. It found no ineffective assistance warranting a new trial: Jackson’s counsel reasonably pursued an identity defense, habitation was unsupported because the confrontation occurred outside, and the challenged evidence and instructions caused no prejudice. Jackson also waived a justification instruction by withdrawing his request, defeating his claim of plain error. Castle’s conduct during the beating and shooting supported party liability for battery, and his counsel’s challenged decisions did not establish prejudice. The evidence supported separate assaults on Norman, with a deliberate interval between the nonfatal and fatal shots, so the aggravated-assault sentence did not merge into felony murder.