Ronald Exantus is set to be released Wednesday. But will It happen? Here's what I know.
– 7 min read
The man accused of killing seven-year-old Logan Tipton is scheduled to walk out of the Kentucky State Reformatory on Wednesday, July 29. That much, the state has been clear about. But where will he go? Nobody is saying for.
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In December 2015, Ronald Exantus broke into the Tipton family's Versailles home and stabbed 6-year-old Logan Tipton to death while he slept. He also attacked other family members that night, including Logan's sister, before Logan's father tackled him and held him down until police arrived. A jury later found Exantus not guilty of murder by reason of insanity, but guilty but mentally ill on assault charges for the attacks on the rest of the family. He was sentenced to 20 years.
Now, Ronald Exantus is scheduled to walk out of the Kentucky State Reformatory on Wednesday, July 29. That much, the state has been clear about.
Whether he actually will is a different question- and right now, nobody's saying for sure.
Here's everything we know as of today.
The state says his sentence is simply up
In a statement released July 9, Department of Corrections spokesperson Morgan Hall laid out the state's position plainly: Exantus has served the sentence handed down by the Woodford Circuit Court, and he's scheduled for release July 29. The Kentucky Parole Board isn't releasing him, and Hall was clear this isn't an early release.
"Juries and courts, not the Department of Corrections, determine if an individual is guilty of a crime and how long he or she must serve," Hall wrote.
As of that statement, Exantus had served 11 years, 9 months and 18 days. The Parole Board has never actually released him- every time it had the chance, it recommended he stay in prison, most recently in November, when it revoked his supervision after he was arrested in Florida for failing to register as a felon.
How does a 20-year sentence turn into less than 12 years served?
This is probably the most confusing part of the whole case, so it's worth breaking down.
Exantus was sentenced to 20 years back in 2018. But Kentucky law requires the Department of Corrections to apply what's called "sentencing credit"- time that gets subtracted from a sentence for things like good behavior and program participation.
According to the Justice Cabinet, applying these credits isn't optional. Once an inmate earns them, the state is required to apply them, which shortens the date an inmate must legally be released- known as the "minimum expiration of sentence" date.
"The minimum expiration of sentence date is the date an inmate will be released. This applies to all inmates, including Exantus," the Justice Cabinet statement reads.
That's how a 20-year sentence becomes an 11-year, 9-month, 18-day release date. It's also worth noting this is a completely different mechanism than what got Exantus released back in October 2025- that was mandatory reentry supervision, a separate program requiring release before a sentence is fully served. This time, the state says it's simply the natural end of his sentence once standard credits are factored in.
“Unacceptable”;White House condemns early prison release for man accused of killing KY child
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Saturday the White House is “looking into” the release of Ronald Exantus. “I’m Shay McAlister, and this is Shay Informed: an independent, ad-free platform dedicated to honest journalism with compassion and clarity. Are you new here? Sign up for the free newsletter or
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One more detail: after Exantus violated his supervision in Florida last October, emergency regulations signed by the Beshear administration blocked him from earning any additional sentencing credit going forward. So the clock didn't keep ticking down further during his final stretch back in custody- this is where it landed.
There's a letter that suggests another option exists
In June of this year, the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet's general counsel sent a letter to three people: Woodford County Chief Circuit Judge Jeremy Mattox, Commonwealth's Attorney Kelli Kearney, and Department of Public Advocacy attorney Josh Miller.
The letter pointed out that Exantus's original 2018 judgment includes a specific line, added by the court at the time: "Prior to the Defendant's release, KRS 504.030 shall apply." That statute requires a hearing to determine whether someone found not guilty by reason of insanity- which Exantus was, on the murder charge- should be involuntarily hospitalized instead of simply released.
The letter made clear the Department of Corrections can't start that process itself. It gave the three officials formal notice, more than seven weeks out, to begin those proceedings if they intended to.
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What Kearney's office is saying- then and now
Earlier this month, Kearney's office issued a public statement acknowledging the "deep concern, fear, and frustration" in the community, but said Kentucky law keeps civil commitment matters under confidential. Her office said it legally could not confirm or deny whether any petition had been filed.
Today, I followed up directly, and got a little more detail- though still no direct answer on filing status.
"I can't comment on if anything has or has not been filed," Kearney's office told me. "If a 202A petition were to be filed, the law allows the petition to be filed in the same CR case as the jury trial."
That last part matters, because it tells us where to look. I went straight to the court record.
Here's what the court record shows
I checked online court records and confirmed with the Woodford County Clerk's office directly: no new documents have been filed in Exantus's criminal case since 2020.
To be clear- that doesn't necessarily mean nothing is happening. It's possible a petition could be filed in the next two days, right up against the deadline. It's also possible confidentiality rules mean something could be filed without immediately showing up in the public docket the way a typical filing would. The Woodford County Circuit Clerk assured me even a sealed document would show up on her end, and she isn't seeing anything new in the file since 2020.
The Tipton family is still waiting too
I checked in with Logan Tipton's family again this week. They tell me they're in the same position as the rest of us- waiting, watching, hoping for information nobody seems able or willing to give them yet.
It's a familiar feeling for them at this point. Dean Tipton has said repeatedly over the past several months that his family learns about developments in this case through the news, not through any direct contact from the state.
Where things stand
Two days before Exantus's scheduled release, here's the honest answer: we don't know if he's walking out Wednesday or not.
The Justice Cabinet says by law, he has to be released unless a detainer or court order is in place first. The Commonwealth's Attorney won't say whether that process has started. The public court record shows nothing filed. And the family that has lived this nightmare once already is, once again, waiting for someone to tell them what's next.
I'll be watching the docket and following up with all parties between now and Wednesday.
Logan’s Law didn’t come in time to stop this: Ronald Exantus set for release at the end of this month
The man convicted in a brutal attack against against a Kentucky family, including 6-year-old Logan Tipton could walk out of prison a free man at the end of this month. “I’m Shay McAlister, and this is Shay Informed: an independent, ad-free platform dedicated to honest journalism
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