A former student-athlete from the University of Kentucky entered a guilty plea on Friday to first-degree manslaughter concerning the death of her infant son, whose remains were discovered in a trash bag within a closet.
Laken Snelling, 22, had pleaded not guilty following a grand jury indictment on multiple charges, which included first-degree manslaughter, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant.
Snelling altered her plea to guilty on Friday, as reported by NBC affiliate WLEX in Lexington, Kentucky.
On August 27, officers were dispatched to a home following a report of an unresponsive infant, as stated in a press release from the city of Lexington.
The Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office concluded that the infant was born alive, with the cause of death identified as “asphyxia by undetermined means.”
Laken Snelling pleads guilty: 5 things to know
- Snelling, who has been released on a $100,000 bond since her arrest in 2025, appeared alongside her attorney on Friday morning.
- “I was under a lot of emotional stress and my baby came unexpectedly,” Snelling stated as tears rolled down her face, as per Court TV. “And instead of helping it … afterward I cleaned up and didn’t help anyone.”
- Judge Diane Minnifield asked her to explain, asking, “Tell me, when you said instead of helping him, you did what?” Snelling said, “I ended his life.”
- Minnifield then questioned, “How did you end his life, ma’am?” Snelling responded,“I deprived him of oxygen.”
- During a police grilling, Snelling confessed to having given birth but attempted to imply that the infant was not breathing. She informed the officers that she had remained awake for 30 minutes following the delivery, but subsequently fell onto the baby. Upon waking, she noticed that the child was “turning blue and purple.”
Prosecutors seek 10-year prison term for Laken Snelling
Prosecutors suggested a 10-year prison term for the manslaughter charge, along with one-year terms for each of the other three charges.
Minnifield said that she could either impose the sentences consecutively or concurrently, but she chose to defer her decision. She expressed a desire for a presentence investigation to “give me just a little more information” regarding the defendant, Court TV reported.
Following her arrest, Snelling resigned from the STUNT team. On Friday, she informed Minnifield that she had finished her junior year of college; she mentioned that her most recent employment was last summer, where she worked as an ice cream scooper.
Minnifield has set Snelling’s sentencing date for October 16.
