Rashad Trice: Detroit man faces life in prison after confessing to abduction and murder of ex-GF's 2-year-old following fight

Rashad Trice confessed to a federal charge of kidnapping Wynter Cold-Smith, 2, and resulting in death
PUBLISHED MAR 26, 2024
Rashad Trice admitted to killing Wynter Cold-Smith with a phone cord (Lansing Police Department)
Rashad Trice admitted to killing Wynter Cold-Smith with a phone cord (Lansing Police Department)

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

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DETROIT, MICHIGAN: A man from Michigan has pleaded guilty to kidnapping and killing his ex-girlfriend’s 2-year-old daughter in 2023.

Rashad Trice confessed to a federal charge of kidnapping Wynter Cold-Smith and resulting in death, according to prosecutors.

Trice is now confronted with the possibility of a life in prison and is scheduled to receive his sentence in July 2024, People reported.

Rashad Trice admits to killing toddler with phone cord

According to the plea agreement, Rashad Trice acknowledged taking Wynter in a Chevrolet Impala and driving toward the Detroit area.

Trice attempted to calm the toddler down by playing a YouTube video before fatally strangling her with a phone cord in Detroit.

Mark Totten, the US Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, stated, "What happened is heart-wrenching, but today marks an important step forward as we seek justice for Wynter Cole-Smith’s family and the people of Michigan."

The statement expressed gratitude to the FBI Michigan, the Lansing Police Department, and over two dozen other local, state, and federal partners for their swift assistance.

"I’m incredibly grateful to FBI Michigan, the Lansing Police Department, and the more than two dozen other local, state, and federal partners who came running to help," it said.

What happened between Rashad Trice and his ex-girlfriend?

The ex-girlfriend called the police about a fight between her and Trice at her home in Lansing, Michigan on July 2, 2023.

She said she stabbed Trice to protect herself, but then Trice stabbed her many times.

She ran away from the house and went to her mom's place in the same building, leaving her 2-year-old daughter, Wynter Cole-Smith, and her 1-year-old son behind.

Trice is not the biological father of Wynter, but he is the father of the 1-year-old.

When the police went to her house, they found the 1-year-old but couldn't find Trice and Wynter.

The police found out that Trice took a car from the woman’s mom without asking, and they sent out an Amber Alert.

They found Trice driving the car the next day, but Wynter wasn't with him, as per People.

Trice tried to run away from the police, crashed into another car, and then tried to fight the police when they caught him.

The cops took Trice to the hospital because he was hurt from the fight. They found a lot of blood in the car that matched Trice's injuries.

Besides, parts of a pink phone cord were also found in the car. Trice's phone showed that he went from Lansing to Detroit, where they later found Wynter's body on July 5.

Police believe Wynter died from being strangled with the pink phone cord. Trice told the police that he and his ex-girlfriend fought about money, and both got hurt.

He also knew about the Amber Alert and said he felt like a monster and wanted to die. 

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