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Cheerleader gets 10 years for suffocating newborn baby boy to death
A former University of Kentucky cheerleader who admitted she "ended" the life of her newborn son has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Laken Snelling admitted in August 2025 to 'ending the life' of her newborn son.
She had given birth at home, and the baby's body was later found by roommates in her closet.
The baby boy died from asphyxia, a severe lack of oxygen.
Snelling was sentenced to the recommended 10 years in prison and received 415 days of time served while under house arrest.
Laken Snelling was arrested in August 2025 after a baby boy was found by roommates in her closet wrapped in a "blood-soaked" towel inside a trash bag. She initially misled authorities into believing the baby boy died accidentally, but later admitted to a health professional that she heard him "whimper" before she killed him. She ultimately admitted that she "deprived him of oxygen."
“I was under a lot of emotional stress and my baby came unexpectedly,” she said in court. “And instead of helping him, I ended his life and afterwards I cleaned up and didn’t tell anyone.”
The Kentucky Medical Examiner's Office found that the baby boy, whom his father — 22-year-old college football player Izaiah Hall — has named McCoy Cade Hall, had been born alive and died from asphyxia by undetermined means.
Snelling pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges.
According to Court TV, Judge Diane Minnifield ordered a pre-sentence investigation before deciding on the sentence.
As part of a plea deal, prosecutors recommended 10 years for manslaughter and one year for each of the other three charges Snelling had pleaded guilty to, including abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant.
Minnifield did sentence her to the recommended 10 years, and on October 16, Snelling was led out of court by deputies to begin serving that sentence. She received 415 days of credit for time served under house arrest.
“Based on the nature of this charge, you’re not even probation eligible to be considered,” Minnifield told Snelling, adding:
“You know, this is a crime of violence. This is a crime that took the life of a baby — innocent, that did nothing, you know, did nothing but come out and breathe, and that's it.
You’re going to have a lot of time. You’re young, you’re 22 years old. You’re going to have a lot of life. This family of Cade is going to have a lot of life ahead of them, but this hole will never go away. This loneliness, this just now in the pit of your stomach, it’s never going to go away. You’re going to have to find ways to live with it and all of that’s only going to come by God.”
The family of little Cade is grieving his loss.
As reported by The Globe, Izaiah Hall told the court, "I don't wish the worst on Laken. What happened… it is what it is. I can't change it. My family can't change it. It hurts in a way that's unexplainable."
One of Hall's family members added, "You imagine birthdays, holidays, first steps, first words, laughter, hugs, kisses and all the little moments that become lifelong memories. For Cade, those possibilities were taken away before he ever had the chance to experience them."
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
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·Human Interest·By Nancy Flanders
Cheerleader gets 10 years for suffocating newborn baby boy to death
A former University of Kentucky cheerleader who admitted she "ended" the life of her newborn son has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Laken Snelling admitted in August 2025 to 'ending the life' of her newborn son.
She had given birth at home, and the baby's body was later found by roommates in her closet.
The baby boy died from asphyxia, a severe lack of oxygen.
Snelling was sentenced to the recommended 10 years in prison and received 415 days of time served while under house arrest.
Laken Snelling was arrested in August 2025 after a baby boy was found by roommates in her closet wrapped in a "blood-soaked" towel inside a trash bag. She initially misled authorities into believing the baby boy died accidentally, but later admitted to a health professional that she heard him "whimper" before she killed him. She ultimately admitted that she "deprived him of oxygen."
“I was under a lot of emotional stress and my baby came unexpectedly,” she said in court. “And instead of helping him, I ended his life and afterwards I cleaned up and didn’t tell anyone.”
The Kentucky Medical Examiner's Office found that the baby boy, whom his father — 22-year-old college football player Izaiah Hall — has named McCoy Cade Hall, had been born alive and died from asphyxia by undetermined means.
Snelling pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges.
According to Court TV, Judge Diane Minnifield ordered a pre-sentence investigation before deciding on the sentence.
As part of a plea deal, prosecutors recommended 10 years for manslaughter and one year for each of the other three charges Snelling had pleaded guilty to, including abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant.
Minnifield did sentence her to the recommended 10 years, and on October 16, Snelling was led out of court by deputies to begin serving that sentence. She received 415 days of credit for time served under house arrest.
“Based on the nature of this charge, you’re not even probation eligible to be considered,” Minnifield told Snelling, adding:
“You know, this is a crime of violence. This is a crime that took the life of a baby — innocent, that did nothing, you know, did nothing but come out and breathe, and that's it.
You’re going to have a lot of time. You’re young, you’re 22 years old. You’re going to have a lot of life. This family of Cade is going to have a lot of life ahead of them, but this hole will never go away. This loneliness, this just now in the pit of your stomach, it’s never going to go away. You’re going to have to find ways to live with it and all of that’s only going to come by God.”
The family of little Cade is grieving his loss.
As reported by The Globe, Izaiah Hall told the court, "I don't wish the worst on Laken. What happened… it is what it is. I can't change it. My family can't change it. It hurts in a way that's unexplainable."
One of Hall's family members added, "You imagine birthdays, holidays, first steps, first words, laughter, hugs, kisses and all the little moments that become lifelong memories. For Cade, those possibilities were taken away before he ever had the chance to experience them."
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Kim Hayes
·Human Interest
Right to Life UK
·Human Interest
Bridget Sielicki
·Human Interest
Angeline Tan
·Human Interest
Isabella Childs
·Human Interest
Cassy Cooke
·Pop Culture
Nancy Flanders
·Issues
Nancy Flanders
·Pop Culture
Nancy Flanders
·Politics
Nancy Flanders
·Fact Checks
Nancy Flanders
·