Ex-Kentucky Cheerleader Pleads Guilty in Newborn's Death
Ex-Kentucky Cheerleader Pleads Guilty in Newborn's Death
The News
Former University of Kentucky cheerleader Laken Snelling, 22, pleaded guilty Friday morning to first-degree manslaughter in the death of her newborn son, whose body was found in a black plastic trash bag inside a closet.
Snelling told the court she was under stress, that the baby came unexpectedly, and that she ended his life "instead of helping him."
She admitted depriving the infant of oxygen, then placing him and blood-soaked towels in a plastic bag without telling anyone.
The Evidence
The Kentucky Medical Examiner concluded the baby was born alive and died of asphyxia.
Snelling, a former student-athlete at the University of Kentucky, acknowledged in court that she deprived the infant of oxygen before hiding the body.
Timeline
Snelling's newborn son dies. Roommates find the infant unresponsive inside a black plastic bag in a closet.
Snelling pleads not guilty.
Snelling reverses course and pleads guilty to first-degree manslaughter, waiving her rights to a trial and to witnesses.
Reactions
Snelling's own words in court were the plea's centerpiece: she described being under stress and said she ended the baby's life rather than help him.
The case has been carried across the political spectrum, from NBC News to the New York Post and the pro-life outlet LifeNews, which framed the guilty plea around the killing of a newborn who was born alive.
What's Next
Sentencing is set for October 16.
Prosecutors have recommended a 10-year sentence on the manslaughter count, plus one year each on charges of abuse of a corpse, tampering, and concealing birth.
The open question at that hearing is whether the judge follows the prosecution's recommendation or departs from it.
More
Snelling had pleaded not guilty in April, so Friday's plea ends the prospect of a trial in a case that drew national attention because of her age, her role on a high-profile college cheer squad, and the condition in which her son's body was found.
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