Laken Snelling, a former University of Kentucky cheerleader, was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree manslaughter in the death of her infant, local media reported.
Snelling was indicted in March on the manslaughter charge and three additional counts before entering a guilty plea in August.
Lexington police arrested Snelling in August 2025 after her roommates reported hearing loud sounds from her closet. Officers who responded found the infant cold to the touch, wrapped in a trash bag inside the closet, according to a statement from the city of Lexington.
Snelling, 22, a former University of Kentucky student, pleaded guilty in the death of her newborn, who was discovered inside a trash bag in a closet. (Laken Snelling/Facebook and Fayette County Detention Center)
The Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office determined that the baby was born alive and died from asphyxiation, according to Lexington officials. Asked by Judge Diane Minnifield how she caused the infant’s death, Snelling answered, “I deprived him of oxygen.”
Speaking through tears in court, Snelling said she had been under intense emotional pressure when the baby arrived unexpectedly. “Instead of helping him, I ended his life and afterward I cleaned up and didn’t tell anyone,” she said.
Her guilty plea also covered charges of abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth of an infant.
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Laken Snelling, then a senior at the University of Kentucky, was arrested Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (Getty Images; UK Athletics)
Snelling told investigators that she remained awake for about 30 minutes after giving birth before losing consciousness while lying on top of the baby.
Court records state that she woke to find the infant “turning blue and purple.”
University officials confirmed that Laken Snelling was a senior at the University of Kentucky. (Getty Images)
Court documents also say investigators discovered that Snelling had erased photographs of her labor from her phone, along with other evidence related to the pregnancy.