LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Thursday that her office will conduct the prosecution of Rashad Maleek Trice, 26, for his state charges, and it will all be in one trial.
Trice currently has been charged in Ingham County in the case of the physical and sexual assault of his ex-girlfriend and in Macomb County for fleeing police. Trice is also facing a federal charge of kidnapping resulting in a death, and he appeared in a federal court in Grand Rapids Tuesday where the case will now move to a grand jury.
Police say that Trice stabbed Wynter's mother, his ex-girlfriend, and kidnapped Wynter on Sunday, July 2. He was later arrested in St. Clair Shores Monday, July 3, but Wynter was not found. Three days later, her body was found in Detroit.
Trice has not been charged in the death of 2-year-old Wynter Cole-Smith, but Nessel said her department has begun the process of reviewing police reports for potential murder charges.
In a news release from the Michigan Department of Attorney General, Nessel said that her office will work with the prosecutors from Ingham, Macomb and Wayne counties to review the charges against Trice and reissue them.
“This is a tragic case, and by consolidating the prosecution into one venue, we are recognizing the hardship the surviving victim and family continue to face,” said Nessel in the release. “I am grateful for the partnership with Prosecutors Dewane, Lucido, and Worthy which allow all of us to place the victims’ needs first while seeking justice for Wynter and her mother.”
The department said the decision to centralize the case came from a "victim-centered approach" to minimize the trauma of multiple trials for the victims and witnesses.
“The Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office fully supports the Office of the Attorney General prosecuting the tragic course of conduct that started with a horrific physical and sexual assault and kidnapping in Ingham County, encompasses the murder of 2-year-old Wynter Cole-Smith, and ended with Mr. Trice resisting arrest and assaulting officers in Macomb County. The Office of the Attorney General has jurisdiction that extends throughout the state of Michigan and across county lines," Ingham County Prosecutor John Dewane said. "By having one prosecutorial entity handling the entire course of conduct, there will be a single point of contact for law enforcement, consistency for the victims and Wynter’s family as well as provide for judicial economy by having consolidated court hearings. The Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office will continue to support the office of the Attorney General as they hold Rashad Trice accountable for his actions and seek justice for all those impacted by these events."
The prosecutors from Macomb and Wayne counties echoed similar statements about the need to consolidate the case.
“There are multiple jurisdictions that could handle this case, including mine. It is and always has been my very strong position that this case be handled by the Attorney General’s Office because there is statewide jurisdiction and charges can be filed in Lansing. State prosecutors have caucused about this horrific case," said Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy.
"It is critically important to all of us that we consider how Wynter’s mother will have to cope with the facts in this case — her daughter’s kidnapping and murder, as well as her own vicious assault. She should not have to travel back and forth to Detroit and any other jurisdiction among various courts. The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office will assist in any way necessary to make sure justice is done,”
Trice is currently in custody at the Newaygo County Jail, and he has been charged with 18 state and federal felonies and misdemeanors.
Each case will continue in each county court while new charges are assessed.
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