A Fayette Circuit judge sentenced Laken Snelling to 10 years for manslaughter in her newborn son's death.

Friday's sentence accepts the Commonwealth's concurrent recommendation after Snelling pleaded guilty Aug. 21. She faces parole eligibility after serving 85 percent and received credit for 415 days of house arrest. The medical examiner found the baby was born alive and died of asphyxia.

The Lexington Herald Leader, WLKY, Court TV, and U.S. Weekly reported that on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, Fayette Circuit Judge Diane Minnifield sentenced former University of Kentucky STUNT athlete Laken Snelling, 22, to 10 years in prison. Snelling pleaded guilty on Aug. 21, 2026, to first-degree manslaughter, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant. Minnifield imposed 10 years on the manslaughter count and one year on each of the other counts, running them concurrently for a total of 10 years rather than stacking them to 13.

According to the Herald Leader and WLKY, Snelling was not eligible for probation and will be eligible for parole after serving 85 percent of the term. She received credit for 415 days of house arrest at her parents' homes in Tennessee. Fayette Commonwealth's Attorney Kim Baird said Snelling's lawyers approached prosecutors about a plea before indictment. Minnifield told Snelling the choice affected the child's paternal family and that the loss would not go away.

Lexington police said roommates found the infant wrapped in a towel inside a trash bag in Snelling's closet on Aug. 27, 2025, after she gave birth overnight in her bedroom near downtown Lexington. The Kentucky medical examiner's office determined the baby was born alive and died of asphyxia, outlets reported. Baird identified the child as McCoy Cade Hall; the baby's father, Isaiah Hall, told the court the loss was unexplainable. Snelling withdrew from UK after her arrest. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Snelling was presumed innocent until her guilty plea and Friday's judgment; she is now serving the sentence the court imposed.