FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — House Bill 422, also known as "Logan's Law," passed the Kentucky House of Representatives on Tuesday and now heads to the Kentucky Senate, a release reports.
The bill, named in honor of 6-year-old Logan Tipton, aims to "(eliminate) split verdicts that allow serious offenders to avoid conviction on the most severe offenses," Representative TJ Roberts said in the release.
Tipton was killed in 2015 after Ronald Exantus entered his family's home, stabbing both Tipton and a sibling. Exantus was acquitted of capital murder and first-degree burglary by reason of insanity in 2018, but was found guilty on three counts of assault.
Exantus, despite opposition by the Kentucky Parole Board, was released in October 2025 on mandatory re-entry supervision. He was arrested eight days later in Florida for violating stipulations of his release and not notifying local authorities.
The bill, which has received strong bipartisan support, is sponsored by Roberts and Dan Fister.
Logan's father, Dean Tipton, said the early release of Exantus forced the legislative action.
"It took this monster to receive early parole to infuriate enough people that something had to be done somewhere," Dean Tipton said.
"It outraged not only the people here in Kentucky. It outraged everybody across the nation," Tipton said.
Tipton said the legal outcome was painful for his family and that the new law would prevent others from experiencing the same.
"Logan will never have accountability. But I want accountability for this for everybody. I don't want nobody to feel the way we felt hearing, hearing this man's innocent. He murdered your son, he murdered your loved one, but he's innocent," Tipton said.
Fister, who represents District 56, said the bill closes a critical gap in how insanity defenses are applied.
"It's putting guardrails on our insanity defenses," Fister said.
"Making verdicts makes sense, you know, in this case, he was found not guilty by reason of insanity for part of the crime but guilty for doing the rest of the crime as if he was sane at that time, so it, it stops that split verdict," Fister said.
Fister said the bill also strengthens protections for victims' families by giving them more notification upon releases, and reforms how parole release decisions are made.
"It will require that the parole board decide when somebody gets out on probation versus doing it by statute, and that was part of the problem here," Fister said.
Fister said Logan's death had a personal impact on his decision to enter public service.
"It was his death that kind of pushed me in the right direction and got me to run originally," Fister said.
"This is a major victory for victims and for every Kentuckian who believes justice must be certain and severe when a child's life is taken. I will continue to fight until Logan's Law reaches Governor Beshear's desk and is signed into law," Roberts said.
Read Robert's full statement below.
“Ten years ago, Ronald Exantus entered a family home in Versailles, took a knife, went into the bedroom where Logan was sleeping, and stabbed the child to death. He then attacked Logan’s sisters and father, inflicting serious injuries that changed their lives forever. Although Exantus confessed to the crime, an insanity plea resulted in his acquittal on the murder charge. He received a 20-year sentence on lesser offenses and was later released under Kentucky’s mandatory reentry supervision program after serving less than half his time.
Today’s passage in the House is a significant step toward ensuring that no other family endures what the Tiptons have endured. Logan’s Law requires that when multiple charges arise from the same course of conduct, a defendant is either sane for all charges or insane for all charges, eliminating split verdicts that allow serious offenders to avoid conviction on the most severe offenses. The bill also ends mandatory reentry supervision for heinous crimes such as murder, requiring violent offenders to serve their full sentences unless the parole board unanimously approves otherwise.
I am deeply grateful to Representative Dan Fister for his partnership in filing this bill with me and to every member of the House who voted in favor of this legislation. Above all, I thank the Tipton family for their courage, for sharing their story, and for working closely with us to shape a bill that honors Logan’s memory and protects all Kentuckians from dangerous, violent criminals.
This is a major victory for victims and for every Kentuckian who believes justice must be certain and severe when a child’s life is taken. I will continue to fight until Logan’s Law reaches Governor Beshear’s desk and is signed into law.”
