Who is Ronald Exantus? White House ‘looking into’ decade-early release of man who fatally stabbed 6 y/o Kentucky boy
The White House said it is “looking into” the release of Ronald Exantus from prison 13 years after he stabbed an entire Kentucky family and killed their son, 6.
The White House has said that it is “looking into” the release of a man from prison 13 years after he stabbed a child to death. Ronald Exantus, 42, was accused of stabbing an entire Kentucky family and killing their son, Logan Tipton, 6.
“I can confirm the White House is looking into this. It’s wholly unacceptable for a child killer to walk free after just several years in prison,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X.
“My first reaction was, finally. We are finally, people are finally finding out about this. You know, 10 years ago we tried to get the word out, but social media was not what it is now,” said Heather Tipton, Logan’s mother, per WKYT
Who is Ronald Exantus?
Exantus entered the Tipton household using an unlocked door in 2015. He then stabbed the residents, injuring Tipton’s father and two sisters. Koral Tipton and her sibling saw Exantus kill little Logan.
“He did it. He did it in front of me. He did it in front of my siblings. And being an older sister, who has the obligation anyway to protect her younger siblings, it’s just, he ruined, he messed us up,” Koral said, according to The Hill.
Exantus was eventually convicted of the stabbings of Tipton’s father, Dean, and two of his sisters. However, for Logan’s death, he was found not guilty by reason of insanity.
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After the attack, Exantus was sentenced to 20 years in prison – the total of two concurrent 10-year sentences for each assault in the stabbing series. In 2020, his conviction was upheld by the Kentucky Supreme Court, while he was denied parole in 2021 by a state board. It was deferred for two years in 2023.
However, Exantus was released from prison this October, as many as 13 years before his sentence was set to expire. According to the Kentucky Department of Corrections, he was approved to serve his Mandatory Reentry Supervision in Florida in accordance with the Interstate Compact for Adult Offender Supervision, per KRS 439.561.
Exantus will be kept under probation and parole supervision until his sentence expires, WKYT has learned. The expiration of his sentence is listed as ending in June 2026.
Meanwhile, the Kentucky Justice Cabinet said in a statement about Exantus’ release, “The Parole Board did not release Ronald Exantus on parole. Exantus was reviewed for parole on 09/30/2025, as required by state law. The Parole Board issued a decision that Exantus stay in prison for the remainder of his sentence. Despite this decision, a provision in Kentucky law required the Department of Corrections to release the inmate on Mandatory Reentry Supervision (KRS 439.3406).”
Exantus’ former attorney, Bridget Hofler, said that while she was initially shocked at the early release, “it didn’t really surprise me, if anybody deserved to get out early it was Ron. He had accomplished so much while he was in prison.”
Hofler claimed that Exantus suffered from late onset schizophrenia, and went on to become a mental health advocate in prison. “The horrible thing about this is Ron did not intend to do any of this and Ron was insane when it happened. But yet, Logan is still dead and those children are still traumatized and they will be until the day they die,” Hofler said.
The Tipton family, who are still fighting for justice, said they have heard from lawmakers in Frankfort. “There needs to be something put in place that if people are violent and they say they’re insane and they are deemed insane, then there has got to be a place for these people. They cannot be out walking amongst us,” Heather said.
The family is trying to push for legislation they call “Logan’s Law.” “My brother will never be forgotten,” Koral said.
