Laken Snelling, a 22-year-old former University of Kentucky student, was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison in Fayette County Circuit Court. Snelling pleaded guilty in August to manslaughter, abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence, and concealing a birth. She receives 415 days credit for time served and qualifies for parole after serving 85% of her sentence. Judge Diane Minnifield told her the choices she made carry lifelong consequences.
The case dates back to August 2025, when Lexington police found a newborn wrapped in a towel inside a trash bag in a closet at a Park Avenue home. Snelling was arrested four days later. In court, she told the judge she named the baby McCoy Cade Hall. The medical examiner ruled the infant was born alive and died of asphyxia by undetermined means. The baby’s biological father, Izaiah Hall, and Fayette County Commonwealth’s Attorney Kimberly Baird were both present for the proceedings.
The sentencing has drawn strong reactions in Lexington and well beyond, raising difficult questions about accountability, sentencing standards, and the kind of support systems available to young people in crisis. Here on the Suncoast, stories like this one tend to hit close to home, especially for families and anyone who has followed the case from the start. What do you think a sentence like this one says about how our courts weigh these cases? We’re taking calls and comments all day.
