Rashad Maleek Trice, the man accused of kidnapping and killing 2-year-old Wynter Cole Smith, has pleaded guilty to a federal charge of kidnapping resulting in death. This plea agreement was filed on March 21, 2024, and Trice will be sentenced to life in prison. The incident began when Trice kidnapped Wynter from her Lansing home due to a dispute with the girl’s mother.
He then drove to the Detroit area, where he strangled Wynter to death with a pink cell phone cord in an alley near Young International Airport. The plea agreement calls for a guilty plea on the second count of kidnapping resulting in death, with other charges to be dismissed on sentencing day, which is set for July 19.
Trice faces a minimum of life in prison and a maximum of life in prison, a $250,000 fine, and 5 years of supervised release. He also agrees to pay restitution, to be set at sentencing. Additionally, Trice faces 20 state charges, including sexual assault against the toddler’s mother, stabbing the mother, and more. It’s unclear what, if any, effect the federal plea deal will have on those charges.
The case began when Wynter was taken from her home in Lansing on July 2, 2023. After a long search, her body was found in an alley on Detroit’s east side three days later. Trice is accused of sexually assaulting and stabbing his former girlfriend before kidnapping her daughter.
He is facing at least 18 charges, including federal charges and state charges such as first-degree premeditated murder and felony murder.
Michigan Attorney Dana Nessel announced the charges against 26-year-old Rashad Maleek Trice on Friday. The previous charges he faced in multiple counties have been consolidated after the AG’s office announced it would taking over Trice’s state prosecution. https://t.co/HxGRUPTK6a
— WXYZ Detroit (@wxyzdetroit) July 22, 2023
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is dropping all other charges if he pleads guilty to count one of Kidnapping Resulting in Death. Trice’s plea to the federal charge is expected to result in a life sentence, with the possibility of facing additional charges in state court.
The plea agreement and the guilty plea mark a significant development in the case, with Trice facing a mandatory life sentence for the federal charge of kidnapping resulting in death. The case has drawn attention for the tragic circumstances surrounding Wynter’s death and the broader implications for child safety and justice.