Ex-Kentucky Student-Athlete Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter in Infant Death
Laken Snelling, 22, a former University of Kentucky STUNT team member, pleaded guilty Friday to first-degree manslaughter in the death of her newborn son. The infant's body was found wrapped in a towel inside a trash bag in a closet. The medical examiner ruled the cause of death asphyxia by undetermined means.
Laken Snelling, 22, a former University of Kentucky STUNT team member, pleaded guilty Friday to first-degree manslaughter in the death of her newborn son. The guilty plea ends her earlier not-guilty plea following a grand jury indictment on multiple charges.
On August 27, police responded to a residence on a report of an unresponsive infant, according to a press release from the Lexington city police cited by NBC News. Officers found the infant's body wrapped in a towel inside a black trash bag in a closet. The Kentucky Medical Examiner's Office determined the baby was born alive. The medical examiner ruled the cause of death to be asphyxia by undetermined means, per NBC News.
Snelling had been indicted on first-degree manslaughter, abuse of corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant, according to NBC News. Police said Snelling told officers she attempted to conceal evidence of giving birth from her roommates, per a police citation cited by NBC News.
Laken Snelling pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter after her newborn was found dead in a closet, ending her initial not-guilty plea to multiple charges.
The guilty plea on the manslaughter charge represents a resolution in the case, though sentencing details and timing have not been announced. Watch for the sentencing hearing and any statements from prosecutors or the defense about the circumstances underlying the plea.
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