LEXINGTON, Ky. (TCN) — Laken Snelling, the former University of Kentucky cheerleader who pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in connection with the 2025 death of her newborn son, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
On Aug. 27, 2025, officers with the Lexington Police Department were dispatched to a home after receiving a report of an unresponsive infant, according to a press release from the city of Lexington. The baby boy was pronounced dead at the scene. Snelling was arrested and charged with evidence tampering, abuse of a corpse, and concealing the birth of an infant.
An autopsy found that the infant was born alive and died of asphyxia by undetermined means, according to the press release. Snelling was indicted on all previous charges, as well as first-degree manslaughter, on March 10.
Snelling pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter on Aug. 21. The New York Post reports she told the court her baby was born alive. She said, “I was under a lot of emotional stress and my baby came unexpectedly. … And instead of helping him, I ended his life and afterwards I cleaned up and didn’t tell anyone.”
LAMag reports that on Oct. 16, Snelling was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the first-degree manslaughter charge, and one year each for each of the other three charges. The judge ordered them to run concurrently, so Snelling will serve 10 years behind bars instead of 13. She received credit for the 415 days she spent under house arrest and will not be eligible for parole until she has served 85 percent of her sentence.
The infant’s father, Izaiah Hall, named the child McCoy Cade Hall, LAMag reports. At the sentencing, he said, “I don’t wish the worst on Laken. … What happened is, it is what it is. I can’t change it.”
Snelling was taken into custody immediately following the sentencing, according to LAMag.
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