LEXINGTON, Ky. – Former University of Kentucky student Laken Snelling was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Friday, Oct. 16, in Fayette Circuit Court, following her guilty plea in connection with the August 2025 death of her newborn son.
Judge Diane Minnifield handed down a sentence of 10 years for first-degree manslaughter. She also issued concurrent one-year sentences for abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant. While Snelling faced a maximum possible sentence of 13 years, the terms run concurrently as part of a plea agreement recommended by prosecutors.
Details of the Guilty Plea and Court Proceedings
Snelling, 22, entered her guilty plea during an Aug. 21 hearing. She acknowledged her actions to the judge, stating, “Instead of helping him, I ended his life.” When questioned about the circumstances, Snelling explained that she was under severe emotional stress and that the baby arrived unexpectedly.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Kim Baird noted that Snelling’s 415 days of house arrest will be credited toward her overall sentence. According to prosecutors, Snelling will become eligible for parole after serving 85 percent of the 10-year term.
Investigation Into the August 2025 Incident
The case began on the morning of Aug. 27, 2025. Lexington Police officers responded to a residence in the 400 block of Park Avenue after receiving a report of an unresponsive infant. First responders found the newborn boy dead at the scene, wrapped in a towel inside a trash bag in a closet.
Court documents and search warrants detailed that Snelling’s roommates grew sus**cious after hearing loud noises from her bedroom around 4 a.m. Those sounds were forceful enough to knock a picture off a wall. Later that morning, Snelling messaged a group chat to claim she had passed out and felt unwell. This prompted her roommates to check her room, discover the infant, and contact authorities.
An autopsy by the Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office determined that the infant was born alive and died from asphyxia by undetermined means. A Fayette County grand jury subsequently indicted Snelling in March 2026.
Prosecution Perspective and Next Steps
Following the sentencing, Commonwealth’s Attorney Kim Baird discussed the complexities of the plea negotiations. She emphasized the unpredictability of trials and the factors weighed by both the defense and prosecution.
“I feel from our conversation she understands,” Baird stated regarding Snelling’s remorse. “There were a lot of things that were going on that I think maybe she’s addressing, and that hopefully this won’t happen again.”
Snelling, a former senior and member of the University of Kentucky’s STUNT team, has been transferred to state custody to begin serving her sentence.
