Man released from prison early despite killing child is being extradited to KY
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Ronald Exantus extradited to Kentucky after Florida arrest for parole violations.
- Kentucky law forced his release under mandatory supervised release in 2025.
- Officials and lawmakers call for policy change and potential repeal of law.
The man who killed a 6-year-old boy in Kentucky and was released from prison this month after serving less than half of his 20-year sentence is being extradited to Kentucky after a recent arrest in Florida, officials said Tuesday at a news conference.
Ronald Exantus, 42, was arrested Oct. 9 in Marion County, Fla., for failing to register as a felon. On Tuesday morning, he was en route to Kentucky, said Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods.
Morgan Hall, a spokesperson for the Kentucky Department of Corrections, confirmed Exantus is on his way back to Kentucky. When he returns, he will have the option to have a hearing, and depending on his decision, an administrative law judge will hold a final revocation hearing, Hall said.
The judge will submit their findings to the Kentucky Parole Board. Hall said If the judge finds probable cause, the board will decide whether Exantus’ release is to be revoked or not.
If the board votes to revoke Exantus’ release, he will remain incarcerated in a Kentucky state prison, Hall said.
“The hope is certainly he’s going to go back behind bars for a while,” Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said at the news conference. “We’re certainly calling for that and watching.”
In 2015, Exantus broke into a Woodford County home and stabbed and killed 6-year-old Logan Tipton, and assaulted Logan’s sisters and father. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the assaults, but he was found not guilty by reason of insanity in Logan’s death.
On Oct. 1, Exantus was released from a Kentucky prison after serving nine years, nine months and 25 days. His release prompted national outcry, including from the White House.
But just a little more than a week later, he was arrested in Marion County, near Gainesville, for failing to register as a felon within 48 hours of moving to the state.
“Because of some stupid, obscure law Kentucky has, that murderer came here,” Woods said at Tuesday’s news conference. “That was his mistake, was even deciding to move to Marion County.”
Exantus was freed from prison because of a Kentucky law known as mandatory supervised release, which releases qualified inmates who are within six months of their estimated sentence-completion date. The parole board denied Exantus’ parole on several occasions, including most recently on Sept. 30, but the state law supporting mandatory supervised release superseded the parole board’s recommendation.
Inmates who violate the conditions of their supervised release may be returned to prison and are not eligible for mandatory reentry supervision during the same period of incarceration, according to state law.
It is not yet clear if failing to register as a felon qualifies as violating the conditions of Exantus’ release.
Mandatory supervised release has been a source of criticism in recent weeks, including from Rep. T.J. Roberts, R-Burlington, who said he intends to file a bill in the upcoming legislative session to abolish the practice.
This story was originally published October 28, 2025 at 4:05 PM.
