Laken Snelling, a former cheerleader for the University of Kentucky, was sentenced to ten years in prison on Friday for the death of her newborn son, whom she placed in a trash bag.
At 22 years old, Snelling had entered a guilty plea in August to charges that included first-degree manslaughter, concealing the birth of an infant, tampering with physical evidence, and abuse of a corpse. During her court appearance, she acknowledged ending her child’s life, stating, “Instead of helping him, I ended his life,” according to reports.
She will be eligible for parole after serving 85 percent of her sentence, but she won’t qualify for probation, as noted.
Before the sentencing, the court learned that the baby was named McCoy Cade Hall, and his family expressed their profound sorrow over his loss. One relative reflected on the hopes of making cherished memories with the child, mentioning the joy of first words and simple moments that create lasting impressions.
“You look forward to watching them grow and seeing the person they become,” she continued. “For Cade, those possibilities were taken away before he ever had the chance to experience them.”
Initially, Snelling pleaded not guilty back in April but later confessed to having taken her son’s life by depriving him of oxygen. In a tearful statement during her August court hearing, she explained that she was overwhelmed by emotional stress and that her baby arrived unexpectedly.
“And instead of helping him, I ended his life, and afterwards I cleaned up and didn’t tell anyone,” she recounted.
Law enforcement responded to her off-campus residence on August 27, 2025, after her roommates found a deceased newborn wrapped in a towel and concealed inside a trash bag in a closet. The roommates also reported a “blood-soaked towel on the floor and a plastic bag with evidence of childbirth” to 911.
The Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office later determined that the baby was born alive and had died from asphyxia, though the exact circumstances were unclear.
During initial police questioning, Snelling claimed the baby had fallen to the floor after birth and appeared unresponsive. However, she later altered her account, saying she had accidentally suffocated him while unconscious. Snelling later informed hospital staff that her baby had made a “whimper” upon birth and exhibited “a little bit of fetal movement.”
Authorities noted that she had taken several photos during labor but deleted them afterward, suggesting a desire to conceal the events surrounding the birth.
