LA GRANGE, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — Ronald Exantus, the man once charged with killing 6-year-old Logan Tipton, is expected to walk free Wednesday after serving less than half of his original 20-year sentence.
He is scheduled for release on July 29 from the Kentucky State Reformatory in La Grange with no parole or probation requirements.
Logan Tipton was stabbed to death in his Woodford County home during a home invasion in December 2015. Exantus was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the murder but guilty but mentally ill on three counts of assault against Logan's family members in 2018.
"My children live through hell every single day," Logan's mother, Heather Tipton, said after the 2018 verdict. "I had to tell them that he was found not guilty of killing their brother, and they witnessed it, they saw it."
The case has taken several unexpected turns. Exantus was released early from prison in 2025 for good behavior under an old Kentucky law that classified him as a non-violent offender, bypassing the parole board's review process. He was arrested in Florida one week later after the Kentucky Parole Board revoked his mandatory re-entry supervision for violating parole conditions.
Covering Kentucky
Family of Logan Tipton speaks after Exantus is extradited to Kentucky
Frustrated by the legal proceedings, Logan's family successfully advocated for Logan's Law in 2026. The legislation bans mandatory re-entry supervision for violent offenders, eliminates split verdicts for mental illness cases, and requires stricter mental health evaluations before release.
"You commit a crime of these violent natures, you need to be put away," Logan's father, Dean Tipton, told reporters in May. "You're a danger to society, and that's what Logan's law is going to do, whether you're mentally ill or not. You're going to pay for your actions and you're going to be held accountable."
The Tipton family could not immediately be reached for comment on Monday.
Leigh Searcy is committed to covering the stories that matter to you. If you have an idea, please reach out to Leigh at leigh.searcy@wlex.tv.
