Ex-Kentucky Cheerleader Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter in Infant Son's Death
Prosecutors recommend a 10-year sentence after Snelling admitted killing her baby and concealing the birth, court records show.
- On Friday, Laken Snelling, a former University of Kentucky student, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in Fayette Circuit Court, reversing her not-guilty plea entered in April.
- A Fayette County grand jury indicted Snelling on March 10 following the discovery of an unresponsive infant on August 27, 2025, in the 400 block of Park Avenue in Lexington.
- The Kentucky Medical Examiner's Office determined the infant was born alive and died from asphyxia. Snelling, a former university STUNT team member, allegedly hid the body in a black trash bag inside a closet.
- Snelling admitted to investigators she ended her baby's life "instead of helping him" and placed the body in a trash bag. Roommates told investigators they "had suspicions" but never confirmed her pregnancy.
- Prosecutors are recommending a 10-year sentence for manslaughter plus one-year sentences for abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence, and a 12-month sentence for concealing the birth.
35 Articles
35 Articles
Laken Snelling pleaded guilty to manslaughter, body desecration, tampering with evidence and concealment of the birth of a baby
Former University of Kentucky cheerleader Laken Snelling pleads guilty to manslaughter in newborn son’s death
Laken Snelling, a 22-year-old former University of Kentucky cheerleader, admitted in court to suffocating her newborn baby boy and hiding his body in a closet, and prosecutors want at least ten years behind bars. Snelling pleaded guilty Friday morning to manslaughter, abuse of a corpse, concealing the birth of an infant, and tampering with physical...
'I Deprived Him of Oxygen': Ex-Cheerleader Laken Snelling Finally Admits to Killing Her Newborn
Former University of Kentucky cheerleader Laken Snelling has admitted to killing her newborn son, months after pleading not guilty to first-degree manslaughter. Snelling, 22, became emotional as she reversed her previous plea in a Kentucky courtroom on Friday, admitting that she 'deprived him of oxygen' after giving birth alone in her bedroom. She pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence an…
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