Law And Crime On The Case with Chris Stewart

Cheerleader Cries in Court During Shocking Baby Killing Plea

August 21, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Cheerleader Cries in Court During Shocking Baby Killing Plea

On what was scheduled as a routine status hearing in a Kentucky courtroom, 22-year-old Lakin Snelling stood before a judge and, through tears, admitted to ending her newborn son's life. The former University of Kentucky cheerleader pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and three related charges, accepting a prosecution recommendation of 10 years in prison — the minimum mandatory sentence under Kentucky law.

The Case Against Snelling

The story began on August 27, 2025, when police were called to off-campus housing in Lexington, Kentucky, where Snelling lived with roommates. Officers found a baby boy dead inside a trash bag in a closet, wrapped in a towel. According to the arrest citation, Snelling admitted to giving birth around 4 a.m., believing the baby was not breathing. She said she fell asleep on top of the infant, woke to find him blue and purple, wrapped him "like a burrito," laid next to him in what she called a "moment of comfort," and then left for class — though she never actually entered the classroom, instead sitting in her car and ordering McDonald's through the app.

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What you'll learn

1 (01:18) **Guilty Plea Bombshell** - What was scheduled as a routine status hearing turns into Lakin Snelling sobbing in court as she changes her plea to guilty on all charges.
2 (01:58) **Prosecution's Recommended Sentence** - The Commonwealth asks for 10 years on the manslaughter charge, the mandatory minimum in Kentucky, plus one year each for the three lesser charges.
3 (02:42) **The Case Against Lakin Snelling** - Chris Stewart walks through the evidence that made a trial risky for the defense, starting with the discovery of the baby's body.
4 (03:11) **Who Is Lakin Snelling?** - The former University of Kentucky cheerleader was a varsity athlete on the stunt cheerleading team, and video from April 2025 shows she was likely pregnant during a competition.
5 (04:16) **Snelling's Initial Statement to Police** - She admitted to giving birth but claimed she thought the baby wasn't breathing, then fell asleep on top of him before waking to find him blue and purple.
6 (05:55) **Roommates Discover the Body** - Snelling's roommates, who were home during the birth, grew suspicious and entered her room to find the blood-soaked evidence and the baby, prompting them to call police.
7 (06:22) **Hospital Admission Contradicts Snelling's Story** - At the hospital, Snelling allegedly told doctors the baby displayed fetal movement, made a whimper, and she "guessed the baby was alive," undermining her claim that she thought he was stillborn.

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Show Notes

Former cheerleader Laken Snelling broke down in court as she pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in the death of her infant son. Her baby was found unresponsive at a Lexington home in August 2025, and the medical examiner determined he was born alive and died from asphyxia by undetermined means. Law&Crime's Chris Stewart is On the Case.

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