Former University of Kentucky cheerleader Laken Snelling continues to assert her innocence in the case where she allegedly killed her newborn son, placed the body in a trash bag, and subsequently went to McDonald’s.
On Friday, Snelling, 21, entered a not guilty plea in court to charges of first-degree manslaughter, following accusations that she left the newborn to die in a closet after giving birth early on August 27, according to authorities.
After the baby’s body was found, Snelling faced additional charges of abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant. She pleaded not guilty to these charges as well.
Last month, Snelling faced manslaughter charges after the Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office informed a grand jury that the infant had been born alive and died from “asphyxia by undetermined means,” according to police.
Snelling was taken to the Fayette County Detention Center but was released shortly after her father reportedly posted a $10,000 bond for her.
If convicted of first-degree manslaughter, Snelling could face up to 20 years in prison, with an additional 11 years for other related charges.
Snelling’s college roommates were shocked to find the deceased baby inside a black plastic bag in her closet at their off-campus residence in Lexington. They had suspected she was hiding a pregnancy.
Upon entering her room, they discovered a “blood-soaked towel on the floor and a plastic bag containing evidence of childbirth” alongside the infant, who was “cold to the touch,” they reported to a 911 operator.
The roommates informed authorities that they heard loud, unusual noises coming from Snelling’s room around the time she gave birth, approximately at 4 a.m.
Snelling reportedly tried to clean up the scene, showered, and left the house without attending her morning classes or a scheduled visit to the school clinic, before heading to McDonald’s.
During a police interview, Snelling initially stated that the baby fell to the floor during birth and she believed he was neither breathing nor alive. She later altered her account, claiming she had passed out on top of the baby and awoke to find him turning blue and purple.
Investigators learned from medical staff that the newborn exhibited some fetal movement and made a whimper after birth.
A pretrial conference for Snelling’s case is set for May 14, with a status hearing scheduled for June 12.
Attempts to reach her lawyer for comment have been unsuccessful.
