Ex-Kentucky Cheerleader Laken Snelling, Who Said ‘I Ended His Life’ After Baby Was Found in Closet, Is SentencedLiam Quinn,
Former University of Kentucky cheerleader Laken Snelling has learned her fate after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the death of her newborn.
During a court hearing on Friday, Oct. 16, Snelling, 22, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, according to the Louisville Courier Journal, LEX 18 News and WKYT.
Laken SnellingCredit: Lexington Police Department
Snelling was first arrested in August 2025, days after the newborn baby was found wrapped in a towel inside a trash bag stashed in her closet.
According to an arrest affidavit, Snelling’s roommates became worried after finding blood in her room and hearing her make strange noises. As a result, PEOPLE previously reported, they called police.
The Lexington Police Department said the baby’s cause of death was determined to be asphyxiation.
In August 2026, a year after the newborn was found, Snelling pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth of an infant, according to reports from WLEX, WKYT and the Lexington Herald-Leader.
“I was under a lot of emotional stress and my baby came unexpectedly. And instead of helping him ... afterwards I cleaned up and didn’t tell anyone,” Snelling said in court, per Court TV.
She further admitted that she “ended his life,” saying, “I deprived him of oxygen.”
As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors recommended that Snelling serve 13 years in prison.
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Following her arrest, Snelling told police that she had given birth “to a baby which fell onto the floor of her bedroom,” according to the affidavit.
Then, 30 minutes after giving birth, Snelling said she fell asleep on top of the infant and that when she woke up, the child was “turning blue and purple.”
Snelling withdrew from the University of Kentucky days after she was arrested. She had been a member of the school’s competitive cheer STUNT team and was a decorated beauty queen.
Source: Crime
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