Man found insane in 6-year-old's killing released from Kentucky prison

The Kentucky father whose 6-year-old son was fatally stabbed while sleeping says the man found not guilty by reason of insanity in the killing received "a slap on the wrist" after walking free July 29 upon completing his prison sentence for assaulting the boy's surviving family members.

Ronald Exantus was released from the custody of the Kentucky Department of Corrections on July 29 after serving the sentence he received for attacking Logan Tipton's father and two sisters during the 2015 home invasion that claimed the child's life.

The backstory:

The case shocked Kentucky after prosecutors said Exantus broke into the Tipton family's home on Dec. 7, 2015, and stabbed 6-year-old Logan Tipton to death as he slept. Logan's father and two sisters also suffered stab wounds but survived. A jury later found Exantus not guilty by reason of insanity on murder and burglary charges while convicting him as guilty but mentally ill on assault charges involving the surviving victims.

Because the prison sentence stemmed only from the assault convictions, Exantus' release has renewed outrage from the Tipton family and sparked fresh scrutiny of Kentucky's criminal justice system.

What they're saying:

"The judge and jury gave this monster a slap on the wrist while handing down a life sentence to my family," Logan's father, Dean Tipton, wrote on Facebook after Exantus' release. "Make sure to lock your doors and keep an eye out for baby killers. He will be released today. Watch your house, your neighbors house, your kids, your neighbors kids. He could be coming to your town. Kentucky justice at its finest."

The Kentucky Department of Corrections said Exantus completed the sentence imposed by the court after receiving sentence credits required under state law.

"Ronald Exantus has served the sentence issued by the Woodford Circuit Court and has been released," the department told Fox News Digital. "He is no longer in the custody of the Department of Corrections."

The other side:

Corrections officials said sentencing decisions are made by judges and juries, while the department's responsibility is to calculate the sentence under Kentucky law, including applying any earned statutory sentence credits.

Once Exantus reached the legally calculated end of his sentence, officials said the department no longer had the authority to keep him behind bars.

The department also emphasized that the Kentucky Parole Board "did not release Exantus, and he was not released early."

Exantus was briefly placed on mandatory reentry supervision in October 2025 before relocating to Florida, where authorities said he violated the terms of his supervision by failing to register as a convicted felon.

After the violation, he was returned to Kentucky, and the Parole Board revoked his mandatory reentry supervision, sending him back to prison. He remained incarcerated until completing his sentence on July 29, according to the Department of Corrections.

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said his office worked with prosecutors, law enforcement and corrections officials to keep Exantus imprisoned for as long as the law permitted.

In a November 2025 letter to the Kentucky Parole Board, Coleman urged members to revoke Exantus' mandatory reentry supervision after the Florida violation and require him to serve the balance of his sentence in prison.

"The public good and common sense demand nothing less," Coleman wrote, calling Logan Tipton's killing "every parent's worst nightmare."

The Parole Board later revoked Exantus' supervision after determining he had violated its conditions.

Before Exantus' scheduled release, the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet notified the trial judge, Commonwealth's Attorney Kelli Kearney and defense attorneys that they could seek involuntary hospitalization proceedings before his sentence expired if they believed such action was warranted under state law.

The Department of Corrections said it had no legal authority to continue holding Exantus once he completed his sentence unless another lawful basis for detention existed.

In a November 2025 interview with WKYT, Coleman said "the system failed the Tipton family" while pledging to pursue every available legal avenue to keep Exantus incarcerated.

Why you should care:

Public outrage over Logan's killing helped drive passage of House Bill 422, known as Logan's Law, which Gov. Andy Beshear signed in April.

The legislation overhauled Kentucky's insanity defense and mandatory reentry supervision laws in response to issues raised by Exantus' case. However, because the law does not apply retroactively, it did not affect Exantus' sentence or his July 29 release.

State Rep. Daniel Fister, who helped champion the legislation, called Exantus' release "heartbreaking" and said he would continue working with the Tipton family on additional criminal justice reforms.

"My heart breaks yet again for the Tipton family and our community as we are once again forced to endure the pain and uncertainty caused by Ronald Exantus," Fister told Fox News Digital.

"No family should have to endure this kind of trauma, and every Kentuckian deserves confidence that our justice system will protect innocent victims and hold violent offenders accountable."

Big picture view:

Fister described Logan's Law as "an important step forward" but said lawmakers intend to continue pursuing changes aimed at better protecting Kentucky families.

"We owe it to Logan's memory and to every family across the Commonwealth to continue pursuing reforms that put the safety of innocent Kentuckians first," he said.

He also argued Exantus' release highlights broader concerns with Kentucky's criminal justice system, saying delays in implementing provisions of House Bill 5 have allowed some violent offenders to become eligible for parole sooner than lawmakers intended.

"That is deeply troubling for victims and their families who deserve confidence that violent criminals will be held fully accountable," he said.

State Rep. T.J. Roberts, another author of Logan's Law, called Exantus' release "a gross miscarriage of justice."

"Once again, Kentucky's judiciary has failed the Tipton family," Roberts told Fox News Digital. "The monster who killed Logan Tipton should spend the rest of his life in prison, at a minimum, and his release is a gross miscarriage of justice. The Tipton family, all of Kentucky, and all of America deserve so much better than what this government offers to the innocent."

Roberts noted the U.S. Constitution bars lawmakers from retroactively increasing criminal penalties, preventing Logan's Law from being applied to Exantus after his conviction.

Calling Logan's Law "a great first step," Roberts said he plans to introduce additional legislation expanding the availability of life without parole for murder convictions, strengthening victim notification requirements and further protecting Kentuckians from violent offenders.

"I intend to file legislation to ensure our justice system protects the innocent, not violent offenders," he said.

Roberts also addressed the Tipton family directly.

"I want the Tipton family to know they have my support and the support of millions of people who have heard their story," he said. "God is with them, and we will not let Logan's life be forgotten."

For Dean Tipton, Exantus' release reopened wounds that have never healed.

"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," he wrote. "This may be my breaking point."

Although Logan's Law is now in effect, Tipton said he believes Kentucky must enact additional reforms.

"So I've come to terms that even though we got Logans Law passed it is still not enough," he wrote. "Violent criminals should not be able to knock so much time off their sentence.

"Our judicial system as a whole needs to be over hauled and I am gonna fight for more change."

What's next:

Despite helping inspire Logan's Law, the Tipton family says its fight is far from over. The family has launched a GoFundMe to help cover legal expenses as it pursues additional legal action and advocates for further criminal justice reforms.

"We turned our deepest grief into a fierce, relentless battle to change the law so no other family would ever have to suffer the way we have," the family wrote on the fundraising page. But while Logan's Law was signed this year, they noted it "does not retroactively stop our son's killer from being released."

"The fight is not over and we need your help," the family added.

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