Man pleads guilty for Wynter Cole-Smith murder

Wynter Cole-Smith | Lansing Police Department Facebook

Rashad Maleek Trice pleaded guilty to assaulting his former girlfriend and killing her two-year-old daughter, Wynter Cole-Smith, Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Monday in a release.

Trice was charged with first-degree murder and first-degree criminal sexual conduct. The former charge mandates a sentence of life in prison without parole.

“The scars left by Mr. Trice’s horrific and brutal crime spree will forever etch themselves on the lives he shattered,” Nessel said in the release. “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.”

Trice sexually assaulted and stabbed his former girlfriend in Lansing on July 2, 2023, and kidnapped and murdered her daughter. He was apprehended in St. Clair Shores in Macomb County after resisting arrest.

The charges from the state and county governments in Lansing and Detroit were consolidated into one prosecution.

“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,” Nessel said.

Trice is scheduled to be sentenced in Lansing on Aug. 16.

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