Laken Snelling sentenced to 10 years in infant death case

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — A former UK student who admitted to killing her newborn son was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison.

Laken Snelling pleaded guilty 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. During the plea hearing, Snelling told the court, "Instead of helping him, I ended his life." Prosecutors had recommended a 10-year sentence as part of the plea agreement.

Watch previous: Former UK student pleads guilty to manslaughter charge in infant son's death

The case stems from the death of Snelling's infant son in August 2025.

According to Lexington police, officers were called to a residence in the 400 block of Park Avenue around 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 27, 2025, for an unresponsive infant. When officers arrived, they found the baby dead at the scene. Snelling was arrested days later on charges of abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth of an infant.

A Fayette County grand jury later indicted Snelling on a first-degree manslaughter charge after the Kentucky Medical Examiner's Office determined the infant had been born alive and died from asphyxia by undetermined means.

Court records previously obtained by LEX News detailed conversations among Snelling's roommates in a Snapchat group chat on the morning the infant was found. According to search warrant documents, roommates reported hearing loud noises from Snelling's room around 4 a.m., including sounds strong enough to knock a picture from a wall.

Just before 9 a.m., Snelling told the group the noise came from her passing out and said she had not been feeling well and planned to seek medical attention. The roommates later became suspicious and went into her room, where they found the baby, according to court records.

During her guilty plea hearing, Snelling acknowledged concealing the birth, tampering with evidence and causing her son's death. Commonwealth's Attorney Kimberly Henderson Baird previously called the case "very tragic" and said the plea agreement came after discussions between prosecutors and the defense.

Snelling was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison.

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