Months after controversial release, man charged in KY killing will be out of prison again
An Indiana man granted early release last year after he was convicted in relation to the fatal attack of a Versailles boy and his family — a case that caused changes to Kentucky law — is scheduled to be released from prison later this month.
Ronald Exantus, 42, is expected to be released July 29 from Kentucky State Reformatory, according to Kentucky’s online offender database.
Morgan Hall, Department of Corrections spokesperson, confirmed Exantus’ release date was scheduled for later this month.
He is completing his full sentence, as imposed by a jury, and he will not be required to report to probation or parole.
“Per state law, on July 29, Ronald Exantus will have served out his sentence and will be released,” Hall explained. “When the judicial system issued the sentencing orders for Exantus there was no probation or supervision requirements upon release included and the charges he was found guilty of, per state law, do not require probation or supervision upon release. The parole board does not review cases once an inmate has served out their sentence. Therefore, per state law, Exantus will not be under any probation or supervision.”
There was significant controversy over Exantus’ early release last year. He was released from prison early in October, prompting public outcry, death threats to the state parole board, and changes to Kentucky law that restricted early release for cases such as his.
What Exantus did
Exantus was charged with killing 6-year-old Logan Tipton, and later sentenced in 2018 for the fatal December 2015 break-in at a Versailles home. Exantus was accused of stabbing and killing Tipton, as well as injuring 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.
Aftermath of Exantus’ first release
He was first released Oct. 1, 2026, nine years, nine months and 25 days into his 20-year prison sentence. He knocked several years off his sentence through good behavior and time served before trial, and then was released eight months early on mandatory supervision.
The mandatory release program, created under a 2012 state law, allows qualified inmates within a certain timeframe of release to be turned out early.
His 2025 release garnered widespread attention and caught the eye of President Donald Trump’s administration. White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt told media in the days following release the White House was “looking into this.”
After his release, Exantus traveled to Florida, where officials later arrested him, alleging he had not properly registered as a convicted felon within the required timeframe, and charged him with a misdemeanor. Exantus was arrested Oct. 9, 2025, after less than a week in the Sunshine State.
After the arrest, Exantus was found to have violated the terms of his release, the Kentucky Parole Board said in an order. He was ordered to serve out the rest of his sentence.
“The Board determined per KRS 439.3106(1) that the offender’s failure to comply with the condition of supervision constituted a significant risk to prior victims or the community at large and the offender cannot be appropriately managed in the community,” the Kentucky Justice & Safety Cabinet said in a news release.
After Exantus’ release, members of the nine-person state parole board received death threats, as people wrongly accused them of releasing him from prison early. But the parole board did not have a say in the release and had opposed Exantus’ release every time it was given the opportunity, parole board officials previously said in a statement.
Lawmakers pass Logan’s Law
In response to Exantus’ early release, Kentucky lawmakers introduced Logan’s Law, an expansive anti-crime bill narrowly focused on Exantus’ case. The original version of the bill would have narrowed the insanity defense in criminal cases, lengthened prison sentences for some of the most serious crimes, and given more credence to the parole board’s opinion when it ruled unanimously that inmates should not be released early on mandatory reentry supervision.
To do this, the Kentucky Department of Corrections would have incurred additional hundreds of millions of dollars in expenses to their roughly $830 million annual budget.
The General Assembly approved a simpler, six-paged bill that restricts who is eligible for the state’s mandatory reentry supervision program, eliminating repeat violent offenders and those sent back to prison for previous violations of early release.
Additionally, it set new rules for insanity pleas in criminal cases, establishing that a jury can’t find a person was sane for one part of a criminal act, but insane for a different part.
Hall said Gov. Andy Beshear’s administration took steps to address mandatory reentry supervision by signing emergency regulations limiting the amount of sentencing credit inmates can accrue after violating mandatory reentry supervision conditions.
“These regulations ensure that inmates who violate the terms of their release will not be eligible for additional reduction of time,” Hall said. “This applied to Ronald Exantus and upon violating his supervision conditions and returning to custody he did not accrue any additional sentencing credits.”
Reporter John Cheves contributed to this story.
This story was originally published July 8, 2026 at 4:20 PM.
