A man from Kentucky, convicted of murdering a child, has been released from prison nearly a decade ahead of schedule for good behavior, but he was rearrested just weeks later for violating his parole.
Ronald Exantus, 42, from Indianapolis, was sentenced to only 20 years for breaking into the home of 6-year-old Logan Tipton in Versailles, Kentucky, in 2015 and fatally stabbing him during a late-night attack. News outlets reported on the case.
Despite entering an insanity defense and being acquitted of the murder charge, Exantus was found guilty on three counts of assault for injuring other family members with a knife.
His good behavior allowed for a sentence reduction of over nine years, leading to his early release in October, much to the outrage of Logan’s family.
Cora Tipton, Logan’s sister, expressed her frustration at his release, saying, “Something needs to change because it’s not going to be easy. You committed a very heinous crime, and they just gave you that.”
As Logan’s family was preparing to mark what would have been his 16th birthday, they reflected on the pain of the situation.
Officials in Florida noted that Exantus was released from a Kentucky prison on October 1 and moved to Marion County, where he was arrested again just eight days later. He had failed to register as a convicted felon with the local sheriff’s office, which was a requirement of his parole.
After being rearrested, Exantus was sent back to Kentucky.
A unique aspect of Kentucky’s prison policies suggests he could again be released next year, this time without any parole conditions.
This has led families and lawmakers to advocate for changes in Kentucky’s reentry supervision laws to better manage the time credited towards release.
Lonnie Bowling, president of the Kentucky Bar Association, noted that he has seen instances where inmates received good time credit for seemingly trivial achievements, such as learning to play guitar.
In Exantus’ case, he earned credits for following prison rules, achieving exceptional milestones, and completing an educational program.
Meanwhile, state Rep. Jason Nemeth is proposing Logan’s Law, aimed at ensuring those found insane at trial receive treatment in mental health facilities, rather than being released back into society.
He emphasized, “If a jury finds that you committed a crime but were insane, you can’t just return to our community. You have to go somewhere.”
