Laken Snelling sentenced to 10 years in prison in case of newborn death, LEX18 reports

A former University of Kentucky student, Laken Snelling, was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison in a case involving the death of her newborn son, LEX18 reported. The sentencing followed Snelling’s admission in the case, with the report describing her as having acknowledged killing the baby.

LEX18’s report characterizes the case as involving the killing of a newborn child and notes that Snelling had admitted to what happened. Friday’s sentence reflects the court’s decision after the matter proceeded through the criminal justice process.

The case has been closely watched in the University of Kentucky community and beyond because it involves the death of an infant and because Snelling had been a student at the Lexington university. LEX18 did not, in its description, provide additional sentencing details such as the specific charges, the length of any additional penalties, or the timing of the admission.

As is typical in criminal cases, the sentence represents the court’s ruling on punishment for the conduct at issue. The 10-year term, as reported, sets the length of Snelling’s incarceration under the judgment entered at sentencing.

It was also reported that Snelling was a former UK student, a fact that has heightened attention from local residents and the school community. Without additional details in the reporting provided, the record in this article is limited to the reported admission and the prison term announced on Friday.

The next steps in the case, after a sentencing date like Friday, would normally involve any post-judgment motions or appeals that a defendant may pursue. Those actions depend on what was filed in court, and no further information was included in the reporting provided.