A man who benefited from early release due to good behavior credits after being convicted of fatally stabbing a 6-year-old boy in Kentucky was arrested weeks later for breaching his parole conditions.
Ronald Exantus, 42, originally from Indianapolis, had been serving a 20-year prison term for the tragic killing of Logan Tipton during a home invasion in Versailles, Kentucky, in 2015. He was released in October, only to quickly violate his parole terms.
Although Exantus admitted to the crime, he was acquitted of murder charges on the grounds of insanity. However, a jury did convict him of assaulting other members of Logan’s family during the violent incident.
Exantus had served eight years of his 20-year sentence before being released, having been found guilty of assault, according to Fox News Channel.
His release was granted after he earned enough credits to reduce his sentence by nine years.
“There needs to be a change because it shouldn’t be so easy. He committed a very heinous crime and yet was given this opportunity,” remarked Logan’s sister, Kora Tipton, expressing her dismay over Exantus’ premature release.
On Oct. 1, Exantus was released before moving to Marion County, Florida. However, he was arrested eight days later for failing to register as a convicted felon with the local sheriff’s office within 48 hours of arriving, which was required by the conditions of his parole, the New York Post reported.
He has since been extradited to Kentucky. However, he could be released next year with no parole restrictions.
“There’s no reason for any of us to ever have to walk down the street and possibly see our son’s murderer,” Dean Tipton, Logan’s father, told WKYT-TV earlier this week.
Logan Tipton, 6, right, was stabbed to death while sleeping in his Kentucky home. His killer, Ronald Exantus, 42, left, was released early in October, only to be arrested days later. (The Tipton Family/Fox News Channel)
The matter has put Kentucky’s criminal justice system in the spotlight.
“He committed crimes against Kentuckians. Kentuckians have a right to know what kind of credits he’s getting,” Ronnie Bowling, top prosecutor in Whitley and McCreary counties and president of the Kentucky Commonwealth’s Attorneys’ Association, told Lex 18 news.
“I’ve seen people get good time credit for learning to play guitar. It was considered an educational credit which reduced the time of their sentence.”
Exantus was able to shave five years off of his time for good behavior in addition to another two years for exceptional meritorious service and 10 months for completing educational programs, according to the news outlet.
Ronald Exantus mug (Kentucy Online Offender Lookup)
At the time of his release, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, the Trump administration was looking into the matter.
“I can confirm the White House is looking into this. It’s wholly unacceptable for a child killer to walk free after just several years in prison,” she wrote on X at the time.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House.
Six-year-old Logan Tipton was murdered while sleeping in his Kentucky home. His family is sickened by the early release of his killer. (Fox News/The Tipton Family)
In response to Exantus’ release, state Rep. T.J. Roberts is pushing for Logan’s Law, a bill that would abolish mandatory reentry supervision.
“We’re going to make it to where if an individual is charged with multiple crimes for the same incident like we had here, you can’t have a split verdict on sanity versus insanity,” Roberts said.
