An ex-University of Kentucky cheerleader accused of allegedly killing her newborn son pleaded not guilty to first-degree manslaughter charges on Friday.
Laken Snelling, 21, is accused of stuffing her baby in a trash bag and hiding him in closet after giving birth on Aug. 27. Snelling’s roommates discovered the baby boy stuffed inside a black plastic bag in the closet in their off-campus house and called 911, according to previous reporting.
Soon after, Snelling was charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant, to which she pleaded not guilty. Last month, manslaughter charges were added after the Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office concluded the baby was born alive and died of “asphyxia by undetermined means,” the New York Post reported.
“Snelling was booked into the Fayette County Detention Center, although she was then seen walking the streets just hours later after her father reportedly posted her $10,000 bond,” according to the report. “She faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for the first-degree manslaughter charge and an additional 11 years for the remaining charges if found guilty.”
Snelling first told law enforcement her baby fell on the floor after she gave birth, and she did not believe he was “breathing or alive,” the affidavit reportedly states.
Then, she told police she passed out “on top of the baby” and woke up to find him “turning blue and purple,” documents detail.
Snelling ended up admitting she wrapped “the baby up like a burrito and laid next to [him], which “gave her a little comfort in the moment,” court documents allege.
Authorities said Snelling ended up hiding her baby boy in the closet, showering, and cleaning up the blood from giving birth. She then allegedly skipped her morning classes and went to McDonald’s, according to the report.
During the investigation, law enforcement learned that Snelling told medical staff that the baby had shown “a little bit of fetal movement” and she had heard a “whimper” following his birth, court documents allege.
A pretrial conference for her case is set to take place on May 14, and a status hearing is scheduled for June 12, according to the report.
Snelling’s lawyer did not immediately respond to the Post’s request for comment.
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