India, Aug. 21 -- A former University of Kentucky student pleaded guilty on Friday to first-degree manslaughter over the death of her newborn son, closing out a year-long criminal case that began when police found the unresponsive infant at her Lexington apartment last summer.

Laken Snelling entered her plea in Fayette Circuit Court, telling the presiding judge, Diane Minnifield, that she had concealed the birth and tampered with evidence at the scene where the infant was found. She struggled to hold back tears as she addressed the court. "I ended his life," she said, in one of the only direct statements she offered during the hearing.

Laken Snelling Case: What Happened The Day The Infant Was Found?

Officers were dispatched to a reside...