Rashad Trice agrees to plead guilty in kidnap death of 2-year-old Wynter Cole Smith

Rashad Trice, the Detroit man accused of kidnapping and strangling 2-year-old Wynter Cole Smith, has agreed to plead guilty, according to a federal court filing Thursday.

Trice, 27, has agreed to plead guilty to kidnapping resulting in death, a felony punishable by up to life in federal prison, according to terms of the deal filed in federal court in Grand Rapids. In return, prosecutors agreed to drop a charge of kidnapping a minor, a felony with a 20-year mandatory minimum sentence.

A plea hearing is set for 9 a.m. Friday in front of U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker.

According to the plea deal, Trice admitted kidnapping Smith from her home in Lansing on July 2 because he was fighting with the girl's mother. Trice took her to an alley between Olympia Street and Edgewood Avenue in Detroit where he strangled her with a pink cell phone cord, according to the plea deal.

Trice's lawyer, Helen Nieuwenhuis, could not be reached for comment immediately Thursday.

Trice reached the plea deal eight months after being charged in a high-profile kidnapping case that initially exposed him to a crime that, upon conviction, would have made him eligible for the death penalty. But prosecutors in October said they would not pursue the death penalty, a move in accordance with President Joe Biden's campaign pledge to end capital punishment, though federal prosecutors continue to pursue the death penalty in some cases.

Trice also is facing homicide charges in state court. Attorney General Dana Nessel's office has charged Trice with first-degree premeditated murder and felony murder along with 18 other charges stemming from three different counties and consolidated in one case in Ingham County.

"The federal proceedings do not impact our state case," Nessel spokeswoman Kim Bush told The Detroit News. "We will proceed as planned."

Trice is accused of stabbing and sexually assaulting his ex-girlfriend in Lansing on July 2 and then driving away with Wynter, her daughter. An Amber Alert was issued, spurring an extensive search involving multiple agencies.

Federal prosecutors have argued Trice abducted Wynter and fled as “retaliation” for a fight between him and her mother. A 1-year-old also was at the scene at the time, authorities said.

Trice initially refused to tell police where Wynter was and denied kidnapping her. Police used cellphone location data to trace him, which led them to the girl's body July 5.

Trice has a violent criminal past that includes domestic violence, assault, and resisting and obstructing police in at least five Michigan counties, court records show.

rsnell@detroitnews.com

@robertsnellnews