Laken Snelling was sentenced to 10 years in prison Friday for killing her newborn son.
The 22-year-old former University of Kentucky cheerleader learned her fate in Fayette Circuit Court months after pleading guilty to first-degree manslaughter and three related charges. Prosecutors had recommended the decade-long term for manslaughter, plus one year each for abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth of an infant.
At her August plea hearing, Snelling addressed the court directly about her actions. “Instead of helping him, I ended his life,” she said, according to WLEX.
The sentence brings a legal conclusion to a case that began when the infant’s lifeless body was discovered stuffed in a trash bag. Snelling had entered her guilty plea to all four counts before the same court in the summer, setting the stage for Friday’s sentencing.
The former cheerleader’s case drew national attention due to her status as a University of Kentucky athlete and the disturbing circumstances surrounding the newborn’s death. Details of how the baby was found emerged through the legal process, revealing that Snelling had concealed both the birth and the infant’s remains.
Her plea to first-degree manslaughter indicated prosecutors accepted that the killing did not rise to premeditated murder under Kentucky law. The additional charges of abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth of an infant reflected the aftermath of the death itself.
Snelling’s emotional statement at the August hearing, in which she acknowledged ending her son’s life rather than seeking help, became a focal point of coverage. The contrast between her athletic participation at a major university and the hidden pregnancy and birth added to the case’s notoriety.
The one-year sentences for the lesser charges will run alongside the main manslaughter term under standard sentencing practices. Kentucky law defines first-degree manslaughter as a killing committed under the influence of an extreme emotional disturbance, carrying a sentencing range that allowed for the 10-year term.
The case raised questions about how a college athlete could conceal a full-term pregnancy from teammates, coaches and university staff. Reports indicated that roommates had heard sounds suggesting Snelling was giving birth, later discovering the infant’s body in a closet.
Snelling had even appeared in costume as a pregnant woman for Halloween months before the baby’s birth, a detail that emerged as the case developed. The ex-boyfriend was drawn into the investigation and compelled to provide DNA to establish paternity.
The cause of death for the newborn remained officially inconclusive according to autopsy findings, though Snelling’s own guilty plea acknowledged her responsibility for ending the infant’s life. The abuse of a corpse charge stemmed from the trash bag concealment, while tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth addressed her broader efforts to hide what had occurred.