Lansing, MI - On Tuesday, October 31, 2023, Rashad Trice, 26, of Lansing, waived a preliminary examination and was bound over to the 30th Circuit Court to stand trial, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Trice faces 20 charges in the case of the tragic murder of Wynter Cole-Smith, the violent assault of her mother, and the ensuing police pursuit that began in Lansing and ended in St. Clair Shores.
"Today’s development moves our prosecution closer to presenting evidence in open court and proving these charges beyond a reasonable doubt,” said Nessel. “Trice will stand trial facing 20 charges, including seven potential life-sentence offenses.”
Trice has been charged with the following:
- One Count First Degree Premeditated Murder, a mandatory life-sentence felony without the possibility of parole;
- One Count Felony Murder, a mandatory life-sentence felony without the possibility of parole;
- One Count Assault with Intent to Murder, a life-sentence felony;
- Two Counts 1st Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct, a life-sentence felony that would mandate lifetime sex offender registration and electronic monitoring;
- Two Counts Kidnapping, a life-sentence felony;
- One Count Home Invasion, first degree, a 20-year felony;
- One Count Disarming a Peace Officer, a 10-year felony;
- One Count 2nd Degree Fleeing and Eluding, a 10-year felony;
- One Count Receiving and Concealing Stolen Property, valued between $1,000-$2,000, a 5-year felony;
- One Count Receiving and Concealing Stolen Property, motor vehicle, a 5-year felony;
- One Count Unlawfully Driving Away an Automobile, a 5-year felony;
- One Count Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, a 4-year felony;
- One Count Resisting and Obstructing Causing Injury, a 4-year felony;
- Three Counts Resisting and Obstructing, a 2-year felony;
- One Count Domestic Violence - Second Offense, a 1-year misdemeanor; and
- One Count Stalking, a 1-year misdemeanor.
Trice is alleged to have sexually assaulted and stabbed his former girlfriend, kidnapped her daughter, Wynter, and to have stolen her mother’s car. It is alleged Trice murdered the toddler before resisting arrest and ultimately being apprehended in St. Clair Shores. Cole-Smith, 2, of Lansing, was discovered in a Detroit alley Wednesday, July 5th, ending a three-day search involving multiple law enforcement agencies from Lansing to Detroit, Michigan State Police, and agents from the FBI.
The Department of Attorney General announced in July an agreement between Attorney General Nessel, Ingham County Prosecutor John Dewane, Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido, and Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy to consolidate the many charges into one prosecution.
Trice is presently held at the Newaygo County jail and will next appear before the 30th Circuit Court at a date not yet determined.
The case is being prosecuted by the Attorney General Cold Case Sexual Assault Project. The project is funded by a United States Department of Justice grant awarded by the Office of Violence Against Women, to combat intimate relationship violence. The grant is administered by the Michigan Domestic and Sexual Violence Prevention and Treatment Board.
Please note: A criminal charge is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.