Former UK Student Charged in Baby's Death Pleads Not Guilty to Manslaughter
The charge follows an autopsy that found the baby was born alive and died of asphyxia, court filings and police said.
- On Friday, former University of Kentucky cheerleader Laken Snelling pleaded not guilty to first-degree manslaughter in her Lexington courtroom arraignment regarding her newborn son's death.
- Police discovered the infant's body on August 31, 2025, after roommates reported blood in her off-campus room, leading to initial charges of abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence.
- The Kentucky Medical Examiner determined the baby was born alive, with "asphyxia by undetermined means" listed as cause of death, prompting the Fayette County Grand Jury to add the manslaughter charge in March.
- Snelling posted a $10,000 bond and remains on house arrest at her father's Tennessee home; if convicted of first-degree manslaughter, she faces 10 to 20 years in prison under Kentucky law.
- A pretrial hearing is scheduled for May 14, followed by a status hearing on June 12. Snelling told authorities she gave birth alone around 4 a.m. in her bedroom.
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Ex-Kentucky Cheerleader Laken Snelling Pleads Not Guilty to Killing Newborn Son
An ex-University of Kentucky cheerleader accused of allegedly killing her newborn son pleaded not guilty to first-degree manslaughter charges on Friday. The post Ex-Kentucky Cheerleader Laken Snelling Pleads Not Guilty to Killing Newborn Son appeared first on Breitbart.
Ex-University of Kentucky cheerleader Laken Snelling pleads not guilty to killing newborn son found stuffed in trash bag
Laken Snelling pleaded not guilty to first-degree manslaughter charges in court Friday after leaving the infant to die in a closet after giving birth early Aug. 27, authorities said.
Laken Snelling Pleads Not Guilty to Killing Her Newborn Baby
Former University of Kentucky cheerleader Laken Snelling pleaded not guilty Friday to first-degree manslaughter in the death of her newborn son, whose body was found in a trash bag in her closet. Snelling, 22, appeared in a Lexington courtroom dressed in a blue floor-length dress and flanked by her attorneys. She did not speak during the brief hearing. The judge addressed her directly, saying, “Ms. Snelling, you are currently out on a posted bon…
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