Rashad Trice pleads guilty to murder of Lansing 2-year-old Wynter Cole-Smith
LANSING — The tragic saga of 2-year-old Wynter Cole-Smith and her death at the hands of her mother's former boyfriend is nearing an end, at least as far as the legal system is concerned.
On Monday, one day before the one-year anniversary of Wynter's kidnapping from her Lansing home, Rashad Maleek Trice pleaded guilty to first-degree, premeditated murder and first-degree criminal sexual conduct. The state Attorney General's Office agreed to dismiss 18 other charges stemming from incidents that began last July 2 in Lansing and culminated in the murder of the little girl in southeast Michigan.
The murder charge carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without chance of parole. But Trice had already pleaded guilty in federal court to kidnapping resulting in death, which carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison.
Ingham County Circuit Judge Joyce Draganchuk set sentencing for Aug. 16.
The heart-wrenching story of Wynter's kidnapping and eventual death played out in local and national media during the July 4, 2023 holiday weekend.
In federal court in March, Trice, now 27, admitted taking Wynter from her mother in Lansing and later strangling her with a cellphone cord. The July 2 kidnapping started a statewide search for him and Wynter, and police later found her dead on July 5 in an alley near Coleman A. Young International Airport in Detroit.
Authorities also said he stabbed and sexually assaulted Wynter's mother, with whom he'd had a previous relationship. He then took Wynter and drove away in a car that belonged to someone else, leaving behind the girl's 1-year-old brother, officials said.
Trice told federal agents he and Winter's mother stabbed each other during an argument before he drove off with the girl, according to the federal complaint.
On Monday, Trice appeared in court via a video link to the Newaygo County Jail, where he is being held. He told Draganchuk he sexually assaulted Wynter's mother while committing a home invasion and later killed the toddler by strangling her with a cord.
Trice was charged in federal court in Grand Rapids, as well as three Michigan counties. The state cases were consolidated into a single Ingham County Circuit Court case prosecuted by the state Attorney General’s Office.
Between those cases, Trice faced at least 22 charges and, for several months, the possibility of the death sentence. Federal officials eventually opted against seeking the death penalty.
In March, he pleaded guilty to a federal charge of kidnapping resulting in death, which carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison. His sentencing was scheduled for Aug. 23 in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids. The federal sentence takes precedence over any state court sentence that is shorter.
Monday's plea hearing in circuit court had been scheduled for weeks, but the details of a potential plea bargain were not revealed prior to Monday's hearing.
Members of Wynter's family were in the courtroom when Trice pleaded guilty.
Almount Smith, Wynter's grandfather, was asked to leave after shouting, "Why did you do it?" apparently to Trice. He left the the courtroom voluntarily.
"This guy has more rights than my son and her (Wynter's) mother," he said after the hearing. "We just want to know why."
Matthew Dae Smith contributed to this report.
Contact Ken Palmer at kpalmer@lsj.com. Follow him on X @KBPalm_lsj.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Rashad Trice pleads guilty to murder of Lansing 2-year-old Wynter Cole-Smith
