Ex-University of Kentucky cheerleader who admitted killing her newborn baby learns fate — judge delivers brutal reality check
A former University of Kentucky cheerleader who admitted to killing her newborn son has been sentenced — and the family of the deceased infant is wondering what the future could have held for the baby.
On Friday, 22-year-old Laken Snelling was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the death of her infant, according to Fox News.
'Instead of celebrating his milestones, we’re left mourning the milestones that never were passed.'
According to Court TV, Fayette County Circuit Court Judge Diane Minnifield ruled that Snelling is not eligible for probation because she committed a "crime of violence."
“Based on the nature of this charge, you’re not even probation eligible to be considered,” Minnifield said during Snelling's sentencing. “You know, this is a crime of violence. This is a crime that took the life of an innocent baby that did nothing, you know, did nothing but come out and breathe, and that’s it."
Minnifield added, "You're going to have a lot of time. You’re young, you’re 22 years old. You’re going to have a lot of life."
Minnifield said the father and his family are "going to have a lot of life ahead of them, but this hole will never go away."
"This loneliness, this just now in the pit of your stomach, it’s never going to go away," Minnifield continued. "You’re going to have to find ways to live with it, and all of that’s only going to come by God."
Snelling received 415 days of credit toward her sentence for time spent under house arrest.
According to a statement released by the city of Lexington, police officers were dispatched on a report of an unresponsive infant around 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 27, 2025.
"When officers arrived, they located an infant that was pronounced deceased at the scene," authorities stated.
Police arrested Snelling days later and charged her with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant.
As Blaze News previously reported, Snelling was indicted in March and then pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant in August.
During an August court hearing, Snelling admitted to killing her newborn son.
"I was under a lot of emotional stress, and my baby came unexpectedly," a tearful Snelling told Judge Minnifield. "And instead of helping him, I ended his life. And afterwards, I cleaned up and didn’t tell anyone."
"I ended his life," Snelling admitted to the judge.
When asked by Judge Minnifield how she ended his life, Snelling confessed: "I deprived him of oxygen."
Snelling admitted to tampering with physical evidence by placing towels in a plastic bag.
Snelling conceded that she concealed the birth of the baby by stating: "I didn’t tell anyone after."
WLEX-TV reported that Minnifield told Snelling on Friday: "Sometimes we make choices and decisions, and there's a consequence for each of those. And, you know, sometimes those choices and consequences affect our future for the rest of our lives."
Snelling did not address the court during sentencing, but one of her attorneys explained why the defense submitted no letters of support.
One of Snelling's attorneys said during the hearing:
We chose not to submit any statements from her or from the large number of people who want to send letters in support of her. One of the concerns we had, this case has had some media attention, and we just didn’t want to fuel that fire anymore by letters in support of her. So the fact that we did not submit anything, don’t take that as a reason she doesn’t care about what happened. She is incredibly, deeply saddened by what happened. She’s taking complete responsibility for it.
The baby's father, Izaiah Hall, noted in court that he had named their son McCoy Cade Hall, according to Court TV.
"I don’t wish the worst on Laken. What happened is, it is what it is. I can’t change it," Hall stated.
Hall's mother said her deceased grandson was "a perfectly healthy, beautiful baby boy."
"A baby who had barely begun its life," she continued. "A baby that deserved a chance to grow to be loved. ... Instead of celebrating his milestones, we’re left mourning the milestones that never were passed. Instead of watching him grow, I’m left wondering who he would have been."
WKYT-TV reported that Hall's sister added, "He was not garbage. He was the most beautiful, perfect, innocent, full-term baby boy."
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Photo by benedek via iStock / Getty Images Plus
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