Great Lakes Wire

Rashad Maleek Trice, 27, of Lansing, pled guilty today in the 30th Judicial Circuit Court in Ingham County to one count each of First-Degree Murder and First-Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct for the 2023 murder of 2-year-old Wynter Cole-Smith and the violent assault of her mother, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. First-degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

“The scars left by Mr. Trice’s horrific and brutal crime spree will forever etch themselves on the lives he shattered,” Nessel said. “While nothing can ever fully heal the grief of Wynter’s family and loved ones, I hope today’s plea can be a step toward healing.”

On July 2, 2023, Trice sexually assaulted and stabbed his former girlfriend and kidnapped her daughter, Wynter, from Lansing. Trice then murdered the toddler before resisting arrest and ultimately being apprehended in St. Clair Shores. Wynter was discovered in a Detroit alley after a three-day search involving multiple law enforcement agencies from Lansing to Detroit, Michigan State Police, and agents from the FBI.

The Department charged Trice with 20 counts involving the incident and ensuing police pursuit in July 2023 after announcing an agreement between the Attorney General, Ingham County Prosecutor John Dewane, Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido, and Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy to consolidate the many charges into one prosecution.

“I would like to thank Prosecutors Dewane, Lucido, and Worthy for their assistance and coordination in this case,” Nessel said. “By consolidating the prosecution and securing a life sentence through plea, we have ensured the safety of the community while protecting surviving victims from the trauma of a lengthy trial.”

Trice will be sentenced on Aug. 16 at 9 a.m. in front of Judge Joyce Draganchuk in the 30th Judicial Circuit Court in Ingham County.