Background: Ronald Exantus shown in body camera footage being arrested in Florida (Marion County Sheriff's Office/WHAS/YouTube). Inset: Logan Dean Tipton (Rose Crest Cemetery).
A family and community in Kentucky is coming to grips with a felon being released from prison despite having killed a 6-year-old boy.
Ronald Exantus, 42, "was released from custody as a free man" on Wednesday, Kentucky 14th Judicial Circuit Commonwealth's Attorney Kelli Kearney announced in a somber statement. As Law&Crime previously reported, the defendant was found not guilty by reason of insanity in 2018 in the death of 6-year-old Logan Tipton.
Exantus was, however, found guilty of assault, landing him in state prison.
On Oct. 1, 2025, the defendant was first released due to a state law requiring "mandatory reentry supervision" six months before the projected completion date of the sentence of an inmate not given discretionary parole, Ladeidra Jones, chair of the Kentucky Parole Board, said in a press release at the time. This came "[d]espite" the board unanimously and "repeatedly" voting for Exantus to remain in prison.
Board members "faced significant threats" after the man's release. Within ten days, however, Exantus was back behind bars.
The defendant had apparently fled to Florida, with that state's attorney general, James Uthmeier, stating on Oct. 9, 2025, that his office worked with Kentucky authorities "since we were alerted that this dangerous individual who murdered a child by repeatedly stabbing him in the head was in Florida."
Police arrested him "for failure to register as a convicted felon," and he was sent back to Kentucky.
But less than a year later, Exantus is free again.
The case stretches back more than 10 years. On Dec. 7, 2015, Logan's father, Dean Tipton, said he was sleeping when he was woken up by his children and learned that a man was in their home attacking them.
"When I got to the top of the stairs, he attacked me. He come at me with the knife," Tipton said, per Lexington-based CBS and The CW affiliate WKYT. "He stood up with me on top of him, just stood up and threw me 10-15 feet across the room," the father — who was also injured in the attack along with his two daughters — added.
Logan was killed in the attack. He was stabbed in his bedroom, Louisville Fox affiliate WDRB reported.
Inset left: Ronald Exantus (Kentucky Online Offender Lookup). Inset right: Logan Tipton (WKYT/YouTube). Background: The Tipton home where the attack and killing occurred (WKYT/YouTube).
Kearney, the commonwealth attorney, said Exantus was set to be in prison until Nov. 24, 2035, but "he received nearly nine years of sentence credit that accelerated his release." He is not being placed on parole or under supervised release, she added. "Rather, he has reached his adjusted serve-out date and is being released as a free man."
"This outcome is deeply disappointing and frustrating for the prosecutors in this Office," Kearney continued. "My office has taken every lawful action available to keep the public safe from Mr. Exantus; however, the calculation of sentence credits and the administration of an inmate's release are matters governed by Kentucky law and administered by the Department of Corrections. We recognize the fear, frustration, and concern this release has caused the Tipton family and our community. We share those concerns and remain committed to pursuing justice and advocating for victims."
Koral Tipton, Logan's sister, told local ABC affiliate WHAS in October 2025 that her first thought when waking up each morning is remembering "hearing my brother screaming for help."
In reaction to the felon's latest release, the father wrote on social media, "Trying really hard to not let this break me."
He added on Wednesday that he was "having a hard time trying to figure out how to go on with life. Knowing that this monster gets to walk free and live his life, while I lay in this bed and my baby boy is in the grave. This may be my breaking point…"
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced in April 2025 that Logan's family "has worked in his honor to ensure no family has to suffer like they have," declaring that, "with Logan's dad by my side, I signed Logan's Law."
The law aims to close loopholes such as that which resulted in Exantus' release, and was designed to "strengthen Kentucky's sentencing and parole laws to make our commonwealth safer and ensure Logan's legacy lives on forever," the governor's office said.