Rashad Maleek Trice, 27, has confessed to the kidnapping and murder of his ex-girlfriend's two-year-old daughter, Wynter Cole-Smith with a c. The Michigan Attorney General's Office revealed this information.
Trice admitted to the crimes on Monday in the 30th Judicial Circuit Court in Ingham County. He pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and first-degree criminal sexual conduct. The incident occurred in July 2023.
The confession came after Trice's ex-girlfriend called the Lansing Police Department on July 2, 2023. She reported a violent altercation in her apartment. She claimed she had stabbed Trice in self-defense. Trice then stabbed her multiple times and sexually assaulted her. She escaped, leaving behind Wynter and a one-year-old boy. Trice, who was not the biological father, then took the toddler and fled in the mother's car.
Early the next morning, a police officer in St. Clair Shores spotted Trice's car. A chase ensued, ending with Trice crashing into a police car. Blood and fragments of a pink charging cord were found in his vehicle, but Wynter was not there. This led to a frantic search for the missing toddler.
Tragically, Wynter's body was found on July 5 near Detroit. She had been strangled with a pink cell phone charging cord, matching the pieces found in Trice's car.
Trice faces a mandatory life sentence, with official sentencing scheduled for August 1. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel expressed the profound impact of Trice's actions on the victims and their families. Nessel's office took over the prosecution due to the case's complexity and multiple crime scenes across Michigan.
Trice had already pleaded guilty to related federal charges in March, with sentencing for those set for July 19. In discussions with FBI agents, Trice admitted to a violent argument with his ex-girlfriend, stating, "I am already a monster."
