Attorney General Dana Nessel, in the state of Michigan, filed homicide charges Friday against a 26-year-old man accused of kidnapping and strangling 2-year-old Wynter Cole Smith.
Rashad Maleek Trice will face one count of first-degree premeditated murder and one count of felony murder along with 18 other charges stemming from three different counties and consolidated in one case in Ingham County.
“We have alleged today, and our many charges reflect, a horrific and brutal crime spree from Lansing to Detroit to St. Clair Shores,” Nessel said in a statement Friday.
The charges authorized Friday mark the first state murder charges leveled against Trice, who is also facing federal charges of kidnapping and kidnapping causing death.
The criminal charges against Trice stem from an alleged July 2-3 crime spree, in which Trice is accused of stabbing and sexually assaulting his ex-girlfriend in Lansing; driving away with her 2-year-old daughter Wynter; strangling the girl with a phone cord and leaving her in a Detroit alley; and then attempting to flee police in St. Clair Shores.
Trice, who is being housed at the Newaygo County jail, initially faced charges in multiple different counties before Nessel reached an agreement with county prosecutors last week to consolidate the cases in Lansing. The single prosecution will streamline the process and make it easier for family, law enforcement and witnesses to participate in the proceedings.
Besides the homicide charges, Nessel also filed 18 additional charges against Trice, including assault with intent to murder, first-degree criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping, home invasion, disarming a police officer, second-degree fleeing and eluding, receiving and concealing stolen property, unlawfully driving away an automobile, assault with a dangerous weapon, resisting and obstructing, second-degree domestic violence and stalking.
Trice is charged as a 4th offense habitual offender.
Charges formerly filed by Ingham County Prosecutor John Dewane and Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido will be withdrawn in lieu of the prosecution being led by the attorney general’s office.
On the federal charges, Trice could face the death penalty.
Federal prosecutors have argued Trice kidnapped and fled with Wynter as “retaliation” for a fight that took place between him and the girl’s mother. A 1-year-old also was at the scene at the time, authorities said.
An Amber Alert was issued when Wynter couldn’t be found, sparking a massive search involving multiple agencies.
Trice initially refused to tell police where Wynter was and denied kidnapping her. Police used cellphone location data to trace Trice’s drive from Lansing, which ultimately led them to an alley in east Detroit, where Wynter’s body was found on July 5.
He has a violent criminal past that includes domestic violence, assault, and resisting and obstructing police in at least five Michigan counties, court records show.
Monroe County court records reviewed by The Detroit News show Trice was charged with assaulting Wynter’s mother and for resisting, obstructing or assaulting police in May 2021. He was convicted in 2022.
Records show that Trice was sentenced to 224 days in jail for the Monroe County charges.
Michigan Department of Corrections records also indicate Trice was supposed to be on probation through Jan. 27, 2024.
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