Former University of Kentucky competitive cheerleader Laken Snelling pleaded not guilty to first-degree manslaughter charges in court Friday (April 10) in connection with an incident in which she’s accused of allegedly killing her newborn son and stuffing his body in a trash bag.
Snelling, who was confirmed to be the mother of the baby, having “admitted to giving birth,” while being interviewed by officers, previously pleaded not guilty to charges of abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth of an infant. The 22-year-old initially told police that the baby fell on the floor after she gave birth but she didn’t think he was “breathing or alive,” an affidavit states.
Snelling then claimed she passed out “on top of the baby” and discovered he was “turning blue and purple” upon waking up. The former cheerleader admitted to wrapping the child “up like a burrito and laid next to it,” claiming it “gave her a little comfort in the moment,” according to court documents.
A probe, however, has since revealed that Snelling told medical staff that the baby had shown “a little bit of fetal movement” and made a “whimper” after his birth, according to court documents. Snelling allegedly took several photos while in labor, but had since deleted them “in an attempt to hide the birth,” according to police.
Snelling is no longer a member of the University of Kentucky’s STUNT team and withdrew from the school entirely following her arrest.
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