After nearly nine years of silence, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon is finally speaking again on “The Simpsons.”

But before the Indian convenience store clerk could return to Springfield, the show’s writers apparently had some apologizing to do.

‘When my agent called me about a “Simpsons” audition, I knew exactly what role it was for, and the idea actually made my stomach sink.’

Thank you, come again

Sunday night’s episode, “The Revengening,” brought back the once-popular character with a new voice actor, Sunil Malhotra, and a storyline that doubles as an apology for the way the show handled the controversy that drove Apu off the air in 2017.

In the episode, Apu returns to Springfield seeking revenge on the townspeople who abandoned him. He tells them he has spent years on the “island of forgotten garbage,” where he encountered another discarded Springfield resident, Dr. Nick Riviera.

“I am the man you left for dead,” Apu declares. “I am the one you pretended never existed!”

In a clever bit of self-mockery, the writers have Springfield’s residents parrot what sounds like their own years of agonized internal debate over Apu.

Marge — “clearly serving as a mouthpiece for the show’s producers,” Variety notes — is first to respond: “Apu, we’re so sorry we left you for dead. Believe me, we wanted to do the right thing.”

Bart admits they were scared and didn’t know what to do. Lenny says there were “many internal conversations about it,” while Carl concedes that those conversations “kind of just didn’t go anywhere.”

Homer eventually joins the chorus of apologies, recalling Apu’s many contributions to Springfield and admitting that he took his old friend for granted.

RELATED: Kid Rock appears to cave to critics of Eminem collaboration — then hits ’em with the punch line

No ‘Kwik’ fix

Apu had been a fixture on “The Simpsons” since its first season, running the Kwik-E-Mart, shamelessly gouging customers, and occasionally enjoying adventures beyond the convenience store — including a stint in Homer’s Beatles-inspired barbershop quartet, the Be Sharps.

He was also at the center of a controversy that erupted following comedian Hari Kondabolu’s 2017 documentary, “The Problem with Apu.”

The film argued that Apu’s exaggerated Indian accent and stereotypical portrayal had helped perpetuate unflattering assumptions about Indian-Americans. Kondabolu was particularly critical of the fact that Apu was voiced by Hank Azaria, a white actor.

But not all Indian-Americans agreed that Apu was a problem. In a 2018 Washington Post essay, Indian-American writer Amar Shah explained that he saw his own father, who had operated convenience stores and gas stations, reflected in the character. Although Shah acknowledged being irritated by Apu jokes as a child, he eventually came to appreciate the similarities between Apu and his hardworking, entrepreneurial father.

“Does he offend me? No, because some part of him is real,” Shah wrote.

When Shah asked his father what he thought of Apu, the older man had a less philosophical response: “Who? I don’t know who that is. I have an inspection to worry about.”

Indian comedian Kunaal Roy Kapur was similarly untroubled by the character’s exaggerated accent. In a 2016 NPR discussion, he described Apu’s voice as entertaining and funny, saying he had no issue with it.

Azaria eventually agreed with the criticism of his portrayal. In 2020, he announced that he would no longer voice Apu, and the show’s producers subsequently declared that white performers would no longer voice nonwhite characters.

The bizarre decision led to the recasting of other characters, including Dr. Hibbert and Carl Carlson. But Apu was effectively sidelined. Although he occasionally appeared in the background, he hadn’t spoken a word since October 2017.

Until Sunday.

RELATED: ‘Everyone is so soft’: Former UFC star ‘Mayhem’ Miller has some tough love for young men

L-R: Hank Azaria. Alexandra Wyman/WireImage; Sunil Malhotra. Brian To/FilmMagic

‘I am Apu!’

Apu’s new voice belongs to Indian-American actor Sunil Malhotra, who told Variety that his initial reaction to being offered the role was hardly enthusiastic.

“When my agent called me about a ‘Simpsons’ audition, I knew exactly what role it was for, and the idea actually made my stomach sink,” he said.

Malhotra wondered whether the writers had learned from the controversy, whether Apu could be reinvented, and whether the character’s return could acknowledge past mistakes without disappointing longtime fans.

His reservations were personal. The actor said he had turned down his first professional acting offer 28 years earlier because it required him to play a stereotypical “Hindu guy.”

“To be the butt of the joke wasn’t something I was willing to do, and I’ve turned down similar work multiple times since,” he explained.

Before accepting the Apu role, Malhotra insisted on meeting with showrunner Matt Selman and co-executive producer Cesar Mazariegos. He ultimately described the experience of working with the producers as collaborative and said bringing Apu back felt like a reclamation.

The actor was particularly pleased with the episode’s climactic moment, when Apu removes his disguise and loudly announces his identity.

“I’d be lying if I didn’t say that the sweetest part of all was unleashing that righteously rage-fueled ‘I am Apu!’ — on behalf of so many of us — over and over in the studio until we got it just right,” Malhotra said.

He added that he hoped the episode was “equally satisfying for longtime fans” as it was for “other South Asian kids who, like me, stopped watching at some point along the way.”

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​The simpsons, Dei, Woke, Hank azaria, Entertainment 

The U.S. Dept. of Justice escalated its feud with California officials on Monday when it filed for a temporary restraining order over 20,000 likely noncitizen voters.

The DOJ is demanding that officials set aside the ballots from the list of people registered to vote but tagged by the Trump administration as possible noncitizens.

‘Once illegally cast ballots are counted and commingled with lawful votes, the resulting harm may be impossible to remedy.’

California previously refused the request from the Trump administration to either confirm the voters’ eligibility or set aside the 20,000 voters.

The DOJ filed for the temporary restraining order in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

“California not just refused to act; it made clear that it is committed to treating ballots from those likely noncitizens equal to ballots from American citizens, prompting this suit and motion that seeks commonplace election relief when ballots are called into question,” reads the filing from the DOJ.

“Once illegally cast ballots are counted and commingled with lawful votes, the resulting harm may be impossible to remedy,” the DOJ argued. “The urgency is heightened because of the fundamental right to vote and to have one’s lawful vote counted without dilution.”

California officials accused the administration of trying to meddle with the state’s election after the DOJ filed a lawsuit on Thursday to stop the ballots from being counted.

“This is a sad, desperate attempt by Trump to use his politicized Justice Department to try to suppress California voters just three weeks before Election Day,” Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom responded.

“Courts have made clear the federal government has no role in running state elections,” he added. “We will defend free and fair elections in the Golden State and call out every authoritarian attempt to undermine our democracy.”

The state’s secretary of state said the the allegations were “vague and unsubstantiated” and accused the administration of refusing to provide its evidence that the registered voters were noncitizens.

RELATED: Newsom is OUTRAGED over Justice Department lawsuit to block votes from 20,000 ‘likely noncitizens’

Noncitizens can be illegal aliens but also includes those who are permanent legal residents who have not obtained citizenship.

“The Trump Admin’s last-minute demands are meritless, and we look forward to making our case in court,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said on social media about the lawsuit.

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​Trump administration, California, Immigration, Election fraud, Politics 

A man allegedly shot a National Guard member trying to bust up a late-night fight in Washington, D.C., according to the Metropolitan Police Department of D.C.

Seven or eight National Guard members were in a parked van monitoring the fight in the Eastern Market neighborhood at about 11:10 p.m. on Sunday.

Jackson was previously convicted of 2 counts of assaulting a police officer and 1 count of carrying a pistol without a license.

“They exited their vehicle to try to intervene to try to stop the fight from occurring when they heard gunshots,” interim Chief Jeffery Carroll said to reporters.

“An individual that had been involved in the fight had pulled out a firearm and began shooting,” he added.

That individual ran into an alley, according to Carroll, and the National Guard members ordered him to drop the gun.

“The individual then pointed the weapon toward National Guard members, who returned fire,” Carroll said.

The suspect was shot in the abdomen, and one National Guard member was shot in the leg. Both were treated for non-life-threatening injuries at hospitals.

The suspect was arrested, and three of the National Guard members discharged their weapons during the altercation, Carroll said.

Police later identified the suspect as 41-year-old Jerrell Jackson.

He was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, assault on a police officer and emergency personnel, carrying a pistol without a license, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The suspect’s gun was recovered from the scene, according to police. At least 14 shell casings were recovered from the incident, according to the U.S. Marshal’s Service.

The police department’s Internal Affairs Bureau’s Force Investigations Team is investigating the officer-involved shooting.

Jackson was previously convicted of two counts of assaulting a police officer and one count of carrying a pistol without a license.

RELATED: MS NOW reporter gets obliterated online for unbelievable comment about shooting of National Guard troops

“We are praying this National Guard member has a quick and speedy recovery. The suspect in the shooting has a lengthy rap sheet including two counts of assault of a police officer, illegally carrying a pistol, and multiple parole violations,” a spokesperson for the White House said.

“Thanks to the president’s Safe and Beautiful Task Force, violent crime in the city has drastically decreased. D.C. residents and visitors are thankful for all the Task Force has done to drive down crime and make our nation’s capital safe again,” the spokesperson added.

The owner of a smoke shop near the incident told KTVU-TV that the shooting had been captured on their security video and they were turning it over to police.

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​Washington dc, National guard, Shooting, White house, Politics 

Over the weekend, France saw some of its worst urban riots in years — the exact kind of unrest BlazeTV host Nick Freitas warned about in his recent documentary, “The Immigration Crisis That Will Destroy the West.”

The documentary — which you can watch on BlazeTV.com (with a seven-day free trial) — premiered on September 17, the same day France began its downward spiral into protests and riots that culminated in this past weekend’s destruction.

On Saturday, hundreds of thousands marched nationwide in the latest escalation of what the media has framed as a month-long student-led protest movement over poor school conditions. It began in mid-September and has continued with ongoing school blockades, multiple national days of action, and thousands of arrests.

Blaze News’ reporting points to a sharper picture. The unrest that began in migrant-heavy suburbs quickly became an alliance between far-left organizers and immigrant communities, turning demonstrations into ethnic riots marked by assaults on police, widespread looting, and the deliberate destruction of historic sites.

In many cities, including Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Limoges, Bordeaux, and Rennes, among others, groups of masked, often black-clad protesters clashed with police, set fires, and ransacked businesses.

In Limoges, the historic 143-year-old town hall — a 19th-century neo-Renaissance building — was set on fire and largely destroyed, with its roof and clock tower collapsing in flames. Lyon’s tourist office was torched; Marseille’s city hall was stormed and graffitied; and in Bordeaux, a masked mob invaded and ransacked the prefect’s residence.

Although 60,000 police and security personnel were mobilized across the country, they proved unable to restore order in multiple cities.

French President Emmanuel Macron blamed the chaos on the “French people.” In a national address on Sunday, he asked, “How can French people do this to France?”

President Trump, however, rejected this framing. On Sunday, he wrote on Truth Social: “France is burning! The immigration of people from an entirely different world, people with hatred in their hearts, has shattered that once great country. Close your Borders and take control, before it is too late!”

Freitas had a similar warning in his documentary: “The question before us is, will we do what is necessary? Because the hour is late, and for some parts of the West, it may be too late.”

After this weekend, it seems France may be one of those parts.

In “The Immigration Crisis That Will Destroy the West,” Freitas examines how decades of mass migration have utterly hollowed out Britain’s centuries of rich history and culture — and why that trajectory is a warning for the rest of the West. Watch it now on BlazeTV.com with a seven-day free trial.

​France, Immigration crisis, Mass migration, Nick freitas, Riots, Blazetv show 

“Digger” — the satirical black comedy starring Tom Cruise — was a major box-office flop, grossing just $8 million domestically on opening night despite an estimated $160-$180 million production budget.

Critics complain the movie is unfunny, features over-the-top, abrasive performances, and has a preachy climate message.

Comedian and BlazeTV host Dave Landau, however, disagrees and says he very much “enjoyed” the film.

“I was laughing out loud through most of the movie,” he tells co-host of “Stu and Dave Do America” Stu Burguiere.

Contrary to critic and audience complaints, Dave says Cruise’s character — a wealthy oil tycoon named Digger Rockwell — is “great.”

A common complaint is that the Digger in the film is very different from what people expected based on the marketing of the film, but Dave says to be forthcoming about his character in advertising would have “[ruined] the film.”

“Like if the ‘Sixth Sense’ came out, like ‘he sees dead people.’ … That would be a bad part of the trailer,” Stu analogizes.

“[Digger] is an oil baron, kind of out of control, gregarious sort of character is how I pictured it from the marketing, which was very limited,” he continues. “My understanding, and tell me if this is true, is that … half an hour in or so, the whole movie kind of changes.”

Dave confirms that this is true — but unlike critics, he enjoyed this surprise element of the film.

“I don’t want to give away too much, but one part is obviously lampooning the right, and one part is obviously lampooning the left,” he tells Stu, equating watching the movie to “wearing your team colors,” but “you’re not able to see the jokes being made at the other side.”

The character of President Compson, played by John Goodman, is “definitely Trump-esque,” says Dave, but it’s “not what you think it is.”

“The way that [the movie] twists, I think, is brilliant … Tom Cruise when he plays these characters is really entertaining,” he says. “Like, I know Tom Cruise is a lunatic and a Scientologist, but my God, he’s so good at acting.”

“I think you should see it. I enjoyed it. I laughed so much during it.”

To hear more of Dave’s review, watch the episode above.

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​Dave landau, Digger, Stu burguiere, Tom cruise, Blazetv show 

Chick-fil-A still closes on Sundays, still puts its Christian mission at the center of its corporate purpose, and still welcomes all customers through its doors.

But apparently, the company’s faith-based identity is also still a mainstream headline more than a decade after its widely publicized controversy over same-sex marriage.

In a recent interview on “The Today Show,” CEO Andrew Cathy was pressed about the backlash that followed his father Dan Cathy’s 2012 comments on gay marriage and their donations to conservative Christian organizations.

“It’s a company that was sort of built on God, if you will. And that still also seems to be very much a part of the DNA of Chick-fil-A,” NBC’s Craig Melvin said to Cathy, who responded that it’s their “anchor.”

“It is our anchor in the sense of what our corporate purpose states, that we’re in business to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that’s entrusted to us, have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A,” Cathy said.

“There were folks who were protesting, they were boycotting Chick-fil-A, that Chick-fil-A, they don’t stand with the LGBTQ plus community,” Melvin said, asking, “What would you say to those folks?”

“Well, for anybody that hasn’t tried us, we’d love for you to come try and have our great-tasting food and the hospitality that we’re known for. I think that everybody that will be willing to walk in the door, they’ll see that they’re welcome to come eat with us. We’d love to give them a great-tasting sandwich and give them great hospitality,” Cathy replied.

“You don’t want to talk about that chapter in Chick-fil-A’s history,” Melvin pressed.

“We’re focused on serving everybody that comes in and eats with us,” Cathy said with finality.

“LGBTQ, we don’t care,” BlazeTV host Pat Gray says, joking that milkshakes are loved by both homosexuals and heterosexuals.

“You know, it would be nice though if the Cathy family or anybody could just tell them, ‘Look, we have different beliefs than you, it’s OK,’” he says.

“Am I going to ever say that I agree with the lifestyle? No, but you know what? I don’t have to,” he adds.

Want more from Pat Gray?

To enjoy more of Pat’s biting analysis and signature wit as he restores common sense to a senseless world, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Chickfila, Gay marriage, God, Andrew cathy, The today show, Blazetv show 

A male allegedly broke into a home in Mesquite, Texas, in the middle of the night over the weekend — and quickly discovered why that was an ill-advised move.

Mesquite Police responded to a report of a shooting around 4:15 a.m. Saturday in the 2600 block of Brushwood Lane, KDFW-TV reported, adding that arriving officers found a man outside the home with a gunshot wound and rendered first aid.

‘Why in the world would you break into a house in Texas of all places?’

Investigators told the station that residents inside the home woke up to the sound of loud banging, and one resident who investigated saw an individual breaking into the home — and fired a weapon, striking the suspect.

The suspect was taken into custody on a charge of burglary of a habitation and taken by paramedics to a local hospital for treatment, KDFW said.

Mesquite Police told Blaze News that the suspect — identified as Arthur Alonzo — was released from the hospital and transferred to the Dallas County Jail.

RELATED: Male on parole accused of breaking into home in broad daylight. But gun-toting homeowner isn’t having a bit of it.

Commenters under KDFW’s Facebook post about the incident had some strong reactions to it:

“Why in the world would you break into a house in Texas of all places?” one commenter wondered.”Thats right!!” another user responded. “More people need to remember that.””Homeowner deserves an upgraded weapon as an award,” another commenter wrote.”Don’t break into my house, you won’t get shot,” another user promised.”Good job … we must protect our home and loved ones … if they would have called the police first, they might have been killed … it takes too long to get there … the homeowner did [exactly] what they should have,” another commenter noted.

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​2nd amendment, Gun rights, Guns, Home invasion, Homeowner shoots intruder, Self-defense, Shooting, Texas, Crime 

Polling expert and political strategist Frank Luntz explains why the polls showing a comfortable lead for Democrats are not dependable.

Luntz explained during an appearance on CNN Thursday why many may now be making the same polling mistake he made in 2016 and claimed polling just isn’t capturing an accurate picture of the electorate.

‘I’m still skeptical. In the end, Republicans are less likely persons to believe the polls.’

“What do you think the polls may be missing? Do you think they’re under-sampling the kind of voter that Trump usually brings out, that sort of non-engaged voter that may not respond to a phone call from a pollster?” asked anchor Boris Sanchez.

“We know that they don’t respond to phone calls. We know that in the exit polling back in 2016, and I say this publicly because I want people to hear this,” Luntz said.

“You know, I teach at West Point. I cannot lie, cheat, or steal. The cadets can’t. I can’t. I got 2016 wrong. I believed in the exit polls. Trump voters walked away, refused to participate, because they thought that it was against them,” he added.

“They thought that the polls were all biased,” Luntz said. “And that’s what Republicans are being told right now: ‘Don’t believe the polls. They’re not accurate.’ Well they may be, we’re about to find out.”

He went on to say that turnout is the key to the election, and the polling may not be accurately reflecting which group of people actually shows up at the ballot box.

“I’m still skeptical. In the end, Republicans are less likely to participate. They’re less likely to believe the polls are happening. I’m most interested in turnout,” he continued.

“They’re polling how the electorate overall feels and not polling the people [that] are actually going to participate. But in the end, who the hell cares?”

RELATED: Pollster Frank Luntz says CNN town hall exposed why Kamala Harris was losing to Trump

Despite the warning about the polling, Luntz also said the president’s historically low approval rating would affect Republicans’ chances to win the midterm elections.

“That’s not good at all, and he’s as recently as three weeks ago called affordability a hoax. It’s not a hoax if you can’t afford eggs. It’s not a hoax if you can’t afford steak,” said Luntz.

“I don’t know if they understand how people actually feel, that they are anxious, nervous, angry because their lives are tougher today than they used to be,” he added.

He warned that if the polls were indeed correct, Democrats would have a big night on November 3.

2026 midterm polling map: Where the polls stand

pollwatch.theblaze.com

Every Senate, governor, and House race with public polling on one map, state by state, with the Blaze polling average. From Blaze News.

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​Democrats, Frank luntz, Midterm elections, Polling, Politics, Republicans, Donald trump 

As rioters have left a trail of destruction all across France, one shopkeeper channeled his inner hero to defend his business’ doors.

A man known only as Pierre has become an online hero for his recent defense of a video game store, and his image will likely live on forever as a meme.

‘I can’t intellectualize what happened. Maybe it will come a little after the battle.’

Pierre is a salesman at the Micromania store in Nice, France, a chain owned by GameStop. During the seemingly unending violence that gripped the country over the weekend, Pierre stood up to rioters who were attempting to break into the shop, which already had its security doors down and its front door broken.

In a video seen by over 4 million viewers, Pierre marched down one rioter who taunted him, but as he walked back to his entrance, he was blindsided from behind with a kick.

However, Pierre got right back up and was later seen calmly adjusting his glasses as he remained steadfast at the entrance. To make his story even more iconic, he was pictured in the doorway alongside a life-sized photo of popular anime character Goku from the show “Dragonball Z.”

A photo of his stance has already reached tens of millions worldwide, with Pierre humbly telling French outlet ICI that he likely shouldn’t have engaged with the rioters.

“I can’t intellectualize what happened. Maybe it will come a little after the battle,” he remarked.

“I think it shouldn’t have been done anyway,” he said of his actions. “It’s stupidity. But in the moment, that’s what I did.”

RELATED: Europe is burning. Does anyone still care enough to save it?

“Thank you so much. My team and I are deeply touched,” Pierre reportedly said in response to the support he’s received.

After allegedly suffering some wounds during his attack — likely from shattered glass — a fundraiser was set up to support him and the store.

“Donations are made to support Pierre,” the fundraisers wrote, while also noting to be aware of scams as Pierre did not ask for anything to be promoted on his behalf.

At the time of this writing, the donation page had reached over $11,000.

Pierre’s image already seems like it will withstand the test of time with supporters creating memes like this AI video of him performing a powered attack on rioters akin to the anime character he stood beside.

Another page has animated him into being his own hero, and it doesn’t appear such posts will cease anytime soon.

RELATED: Macron watched France burn — then blamed the ‘French people.’ Trump: ‘The migrants have taken over.’

Photo by Valery HACHE / AFP via Getty Images

There will be an asterisk on Pierre’s record though, at least for some of his supporters. The salesman said that while it was very nice to see gamers stand up and support one another, he made sure to qualify that the rioters did not represent the true ideology of the left-wing protests.

“We must not forget that it remains in the minority in terms of attitude,” Pierre explained. “For the rest of the procession, things went rather well. There are a few bad apples, but that’s not the majority,” he claimed.

The riots in Europe are a warning sign of unchecked immigration policy, according to Nick Freitas.

In his latest documentary, the former Green Beret said that mass migration will eventually lead to the downfall of the West, through ever-growing resistance and a refusal to assimilate.

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​Gamestop, Video games, France, Tech 

A former University of Kentucky cheerleader who admitted to killing her newborn son has been sentenced — and the family of the deceased infant is wondering what the future could have held for the baby.

On Friday, 22-year-old Laken Snelling was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the death of her infant, according to Fox News.

‘Instead of celebrating his milestones, we’re left mourning the milestones that never were passed.’

According to Court TV, Fayette County Circuit Court Judge Diane Minnifield ruled that Snelling is not eligible for probation because she committed a “crime of violence.”

“Based on the nature of this charge, you’re not even probation eligible to be considered,” Minnifield said during Snelling’s sentencing. “You know, this is a crime of violence. This is a crime that took the life of an innocent baby that did nothing, you know, did nothing but come out and breathe, and that’s it.”

Minnifield added, “You’re going to have a lot of time. You’re young, you’re 22 years old. You’re going to have a lot of life.”

Minnifield said the father and his family are “going to have a lot of life ahead of them, but this hole will never go away.”

“This loneliness, this just now in the pit of your stomach, it’s never going to go away,” Minnifield continued. “You’re going to have to find ways to live with it, and all of that’s only going to come by God.”

Snelling received 415 days of credit toward her sentence for time spent under house arrest.

According to a statement released by the city of Lexington, police officers were dispatched on a report of an unresponsive infant around 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 27, 2025.

“When officers arrived, they located an infant that was pronounced deceased at the scene,” authorities stated.

Police arrested Snelling days later and charged her with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant.

As Blaze News previously reported, Snelling was indicted in March and then pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant in August.

During an August court hearing, Snelling admitted to killing her newborn son.

“I was under a lot of emotional stress, and my baby came unexpectedly,” a tearful Snelling told Judge Minnifield. “And instead of helping him, I ended his life. And afterwards, I cleaned up and didn’t tell anyone.”

“I ended his life,” Snelling admitted to the judge.

When asked by Judge Minnifield how she ended his life, Snelling confessed: “I deprived him of oxygen.”

Snelling admitted to tampering with physical evidence by placing towels in a plastic bag.

Snelling conceded that she concealed the birth of the baby by stating: “I didn’t tell anyone after.”

RELATED: Mom kills 3-year-old son, husband at popular family resort, cops say. Then she makes chilling 911 call.

WLEX-TV reported that Minnifield told Snelling on Friday: “Sometimes we make choices and decisions, and there’s a consequence for each of those. And, you know, sometimes those choices and consequences affect our future for the rest of our lives.”

Snelling did not address the court during sentencing, but one of her attorneys explained why the defense submitted no letters of support.

One of Snelling’s attorneys said during the hearing:

We chose not to submit any statements from her or from the large number of people who want to send letters in support of her. One of the concerns we had, this case has had some media attention, and we just didn’t want to fuel that fire anymore by letters in support of her. So the fact that we did not submit anything, don’t take that as a reason she doesn’t care about what happened. She is incredibly, deeply saddened by what happened. She’s taking complete responsibility for it.

The baby’s father, Izaiah Hall, noted in court that he had named their son McCoy Cade Hall, according to Court TV.

“I don’t wish the worst on Laken. What happened is, it is what it is. I can’t change it,” Hall stated.

Hall’s mother said her deceased grandson was “a perfectly healthy, beautiful baby boy.”

“A baby who had barely begun its life,” she continued. “A baby that deserved a chance to grow to be loved. … Instead of celebrating his milestones, we’re left mourning the milestones that never were passed. Instead of watching him grow, I’m left wondering who he would have been.”

WKYT-TV reported that Hall’s sister added, “He was not garbage. He was the most beautiful, perfect, innocent, full-term baby boy.”

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​Cheerleader, Manslaughter, Murder, University of kentucky, Mother kills children, Crime