Wynter Smith kidnapping: Rashad Trice to plead guilty in 2-year-old's disappearance, death
Suspect Rashad Trice
LANSING, Mich. (FOX 2) - Rashad Trice, the man facing numerous charges for the kidnapping and murder of Wynter Cole Smith last summer, will plead guilty to one of the charges.
According to a court filing, Trice agreed to plead guilty to a federal charge of kidnapping resulting in death. He faces up to life in prison for the crime.
Authorities say Trice sexually assaulted and stabbed a woman before kidnapping her 2-year-old daughter, later identified as Wynter Smith, on July 2, 2023 in Lansing. The kidnapping prompted an Amber Alert for the little girl.
Wynter Smith
Trice was arrested in St. Clair Shores after a police chase, and Wynter's body was found in Detroit a few days later.
Trice was charged federally with kidnapping a minor and kidnapping resulting in death. After being charged federally, he could have faced the death penalty but the U.S. Attorney's Office did not seek this punishment.
Trice was also charged with 20 crimes by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel after she consolidated the cases that spanned several jurisdictions.