Man accused of killing sleeping 6-year-old, arrested again after early release: Police
He was released by a state statute that requires periods of reentry for felons.
A man who was accused of stabbing a sleeping 6-year-old child to death in 2015 -- acquitted by reason of insanity but convicted on other counts and later released from prison -- is being sent back to Kentucky from Florida, according to arrest documents and officials.
Ronald Exantus, 42, was freed from a Kentucky prison last week after serving eight years behind bars for a crime in 2015 in which he was accused of entering an unlocked residence and stabbing 6-year-old Logan Tipton, resulting in his death, with a butcher knife taken from the kitchen. Exantus also stabbed two of the boy's sisters and father.
He was acquitted of capital murder for Logan's death and first-degree burglary by reason of insanity in a Kentucky court in 2018, but Exantus was found guilty on two counts of second-degree assault and one count of fourth-degree assault for attacking the other members of the Tipton family and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
He was arrested in Florida on Thursday in Marion County for allegedly violating his parole by not registering as a convicted felon in the state within 48 hours of arrival, according to arrest records. He had been in the state for multiple days, according to police.
Exantus was originally sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2018, but was released last week due to good behavior under a 2012 Kentucky state law aimed at reducing recidivism by requiring periods of reentry for felons, according to authorities.
In a post on X, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said state police are working to extradite Exantus to Kentucky after his arrest.
At a press conference on Friday morning, Lieutenant Paul Bloom of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office condemned Exantus' crimes and early release.
"I get he was released from what my understanding on good behavior. Well, I think the overwhelming evil behavior that he exhibited in killing this child and trying to kill others in the same home, outweighs any good behavior he could do in the next 400 years," Bloom said.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also decried the situation on X, saying it was shocking that Exantus "was let out of prison in Kentucky after serving a mere fraction of his sentence for murdering a six year old kid."
The White House is currently looking into Exantus' early release, according to Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
"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," Leavitt posted on X with a link to a news package about Exantus.
Exantus’ former attorney, Bridget Hofler, who no longer represents him, said he suffered from schizophrenia and made strides to better himself while incarcerated.
“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 told WKYT before he was arrested again.
“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,” she added.
Another lawyer who used to represent Exantus also told ABC News that he was released early because of work hours he completed in jail, self-improvement programs he underwent and staying out of trouble. She worried that the controversy surrounding Exantus' release could lead to rehabilitation programs for inmates being rolled back.
Exantus was a licensed nurse at a dialysis clinic who was going to school at night and studying hard for further nursing degrees, according to his former attorney.
The Kentucky Parole Board, which oversees parole in the state, unanimously voted for Exantus to stay in prison last week, but they were overruled by the state statute that allowed him to leave, according to Beth Moore, Director of Public Affairs for the Kentucky Department of Corrections.
"Every time it had the opportunity, the Parole Board recommended Ronald Exantus stay in prison," Moore told ABC News. "Kentucky law required the Department of Corrections to release the inmate on Mandatory Reentry Supervision (KRS 439.3406) on Oct. 1 after accruing jail credits, good time and education credits."
The members of the board have since received threats from the public, according to Ladeidra N. Jones, the chair of the Kentucky Parole Board, in a press release.
“Despite repeatedly voting for Ronald Exantus to remain in prison, Parole Board members have faced significant threats over the last several days, even having their personal addresses released publicly,” Jones said.
The threats against the parole board are being investigated by the Kentucky State Police and the FBI, according to Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.
"Remember, sharing accurate information is so important. We are urging everyone to only share the facts around this case. At a time of increased political violence around our country, these types of threats are taken incredibly seriously, he said in a statement.
Exantus is currently incarcerated in a Marion County jail without bond.
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