Kentucky Cheerleader Who Suffocated Her Newborn Learns Her Fate in Court
A former University of Kentucky cheerleader who pleaded guilty to killing her newborn son was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison.
Laken Snelling admitted in Fayette Circuit Court on Aug. 21 to first-degree manslaughter, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant, WLEX reported.
During the plea hearing, she told the court, “Instead of helping him, I ended his life.”
Prosecutors had suggested the 10-year term under the agreement. A judge imposed that sentence on Friday.
🚨 JUST IN: Arrest warrant issued for former University of Kentucky cheerleader Laken Snelling after grand jury indicted her for FIRST-DEGREE MANSLAUGHTER in newborn’s death.
Autopsy: Baby was born ALIVE, died from asphyxia (undetermined means). Body found wrapped in towel, stuffed in trash bag in her closet.
Facing 10–20 years in prison. Former beauty queen now faces justice. 💔🇺🇸
— 🇺🇸 America First Feed (@America1stFeed) March 11, 2026
The case began on Aug. 27, 2025, when Lexington police were called to a residence in the 400 block of Park Avenue for an unresponsive infant.
Officers found the baby dead at the scene.
The Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office later determined the infant had been born alive and died from asphyxia by undetermined means.
A Fayette County grand jury indicted Snelling on a charge of first-degree manslaughter. She had earlier been arrested on charges of concealing a birth and tampering with evidence.
FORMER CHEERLEADER SENTENCED AFTER ADMITTING SHE DEPRIVED NEWBORN OF OXYGEN.
Laken Snelling, 22, was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison for the 2025 death of her newborn son. At sentencing, she said: “Instead of helping him, I ended his life.”
Snelling was arrested after roommates found the full-term baby’s body wrapped in a towel inside a trash bag in her closet.
An autopsy determined the baby was born alive and died of asphyxiation.
In August, Snelling pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter, abµse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth of an infant. She was taken into custody after the sentence was imposed.
— Damon Strong (@DamonStrong) October 18, 2026
The Western Journal reported in March that Snelling, 22, was charged after the grand jury added the manslaughter count.
Court records described the baby as wrapped in a towel, placed inside a black trash bag, and hidden in a closet.
Roommates told investigators they heard loud noises from Snelling’s room around 4 a.m., including sounds strong enough to knock a picture from a wall.
Shortly before 9 a.m., she told a Snapchat group the noise came from her passing out and that she planned to seek medical attention. The roommates later entered her room and found the baby, according to search warrant documents.
An indictment obtained by Us Weekly alleged that she intentionally abused the infant and thereby caused death to a person 12 or younger, or who was physically or mentally helpless.
She was not charged with murder because prosecutors determined she was under “extreme emotional disturbance.”
After her initial arrest, she was released on a $100,000 bond and spent months under house arrest at her parents’ property in Jefferson City, Tennessee.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Kimberly Henderson Baird previously called the case “very tragic.”
Former UK cheerleader who gave birth to a baby boy before killing him and stuffing him in a trash bag, sentenced to just 10 years in prison.
Laken Snelling, 22, admitted to ending the life of her newborn baby, saying she was “stressed.”
The boy’s grandparents spoke out about how crushed they were by their grandson’s death.
“As a grandparent, you imagine the memories you’ll make with your grandchildren… You look forward to watching them grow and seeing the person they become,” a woman who said the boy was called McCoy Cade Hall.
“For Cade, those possibilities were taken away before he ever had the chance to experience them.”
The UK cheerleader admitted she deprived the baby of oxygen after the birth.
Snelling’s roommates reportedly found the baby wrapped in a towel and stuffed in a trash bag in her closet after hearing “loud noises” coming from her room.
They said they suspected she may have been hiding a pregnancy.
During a court appearance in August, Snelling appeared to try to blame her decision to end her baby’s life on the fact that she was “under a lot of emotional stress and my baby came unexpectedly.”
Snelling pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing an infant’s birth.
10 years is an absolute joke.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 16, 2026
First-degree manslaughter is a Class B felony in Kentucky, punishable by 10 to 20 years.
The plea agreement fixed the sentence at the low end of that range.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
