LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — In April, Lexington police arrested Glenn Doneghy on assault and robbery charges — the same man who received early release in 2019 for the 2010 hit-and-run death of Lexington police officer Bryan Durman.
Doneghy served less than half of his 20-year sentence for second-degree manslaughter because he was eligible for Kentucky's mandatory reentry program.
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But this time around, Kentucky's new Logan's Law could prevent early release if Doneghy is convicted of the violent robbery charges.
It's a case Dean Tipton is watching closely.
"Yeah, this is exactly what we wanted, you know. Logan's never going to get justice for what happened to him, but his law is going to help people get the justice they deserve," said Tipton.
Logan's Law is named after Tipton's 6-year-old son, Logan Tipton, who was killed in 2015. His accused killer, Ronald Exantus, was acquitted of murder by reason of insanity and found guilty on other charges.
Last year, there was widespread community outrage when Exantus received early release under the mandatory reentry program after serving only seven years of a 20-year sentence.
That's when Logan's family fought for Logan's Law, which stops "split verdicts" and prevents violent offenders from getting early release.
"The one thing that I know of, our case that was pretty insane. That was the only thing that I think was insane; it was a split verdict, and luckily now none of that will ever happen again," Tipton said.
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Glenn Doneghy has pleaded not guilty to the assault and robbery charges. Police say he stabbed someone on March 29 and robbed a Speedway gas station that same day, followed by another robbery at the same Speedway on April 2.
Just says later, Gov. Andy Beshear signed Logan's Law in April 2024. The legislation strengthens Kentucky's sentencing and parole laws by:
- Expanding the violent offender definition
- Extending parole wait times for serious crimes
- Clarifying who is excluded from re-entry supervision
- Eliminating split verdicts in insanity cases
- Making parole ineligibility clearer
"You commit a crime of these violent natures, you need to be put away. 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 know. You're going to pay for your actions and you're going to be held accountable," Tipton said.
