Crime · Fayette County
Former UK Student Sentenced to 10 Years in Infant Death Case
Laken Snelling, 22, a former University of Kentucky student-athlete, was sentenced Friday by Fayette Circuit Judge Diane Minnifield to 10 years in prison for first-degree manslaughter in connection with the August 2025 death of her infant son, McCoy Cade Hall. Snelling pleaded guilty on Aug. 21, 2025, to charges including first-degree manslaughter, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant after police found the baby's remains in a closet at her Lexington home on Aug. 27. The Kentucky medical examiner determined the baby was born alive and died of asphyxia. Snelling will be eligible for parole after serving 85% of her sentence, with 415 days of prior house arrest credited toward completion.