LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — Laken Snelling, the former UK student indicted on charges connected to the death of her newborn last summer, entered a guilty plea on Friday in Fayette Circuit Court.
It brings an end to a year-long process dating back to when police discovered an unresponsive newborn at her apartment in Lexington last August.
Police were called to a residence in the 400 block of Park Avenue around 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 27 for an unresponsive infant. Officers arrived to find the infant, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Kentucky Medical Examiner's Office later determined the infant was born alive and that his cause of death was asphyxia by undetermined means.
"It's very tragic, and it's very sad, and I hate that we can't fix that," said Commonwealth's Attorney Kimberly Henderson Baird. "But we did the best we could. We talked to the family to let them know what the offer was. So there was a lot involved in this case."
Snelling previously entered a not guilty plea in April. Baird said the Snelling's defense team approached her office about a possible plea arrangement, and that her office accepted the invitation to negotiate.
As part of the deal, Snelling was required to tell the court exactly what happened last summer, which she did while fighting back tears. Snelling told Judge Diane Minnifield that she concealed the birth and tampered with evidence at the scene.
"I ended his life," she said in court.
"I think she has a great deal of remorse. It's coming across as having a great deal of remorse in this situation, yes," Baird said.
The Commonwealth has recommended a sentence of 10 years for first-degree manslaughter and an additional three years for abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence, and concealing a birth. If the judge sentences Snelling to a longer term than what was agreed upon, she'd have the right to withdraw her plea and request a jury trial. That's why it is likely the final sentence will fall within those parameters.
Sentencing for Snelling has been scheduled for October 16, 2026.
