The White House has said it is &ldquo;looking into&rdquo; the early release of Ronald Exantus, the man who fatally stabbed six-year-old Logan Tipton in Kentucky after public outrage erupted over his freedom 13 years before his sentence was set to end.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration was aware of the case and called the early release &ldquo;wholly unacceptable.&rdquo; &ldquo;It&rsquo;s wholly unacceptable for a child killer to walk free after just several years in prison,&rdquo; Leavitt wrote on X, confirming the White House&rsquo;s response.
Exantus, now 42, had brutally attacked the Tipton family in December 2015 after entering their Versailles home through an unlocked door. He stabbed Logan to death while injuring the boy&rsquo;s father, Dean Tipton, and two sisters. Logan&rsquo;s older sister, Koral, who witnessed the killing, has since carried the trauma of that night.
&ldquo;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&rsquo;s just he ruined, he messed us up,&rdquo; Koral said, her voice breaking with emotion.
Exantus was convicted of the assaults on Logan&rsquo;s father and sisters but was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the child&rsquo;s murder. Diagnosed with late-onset schizophrenia, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison, serving two concurrent 10-year terms.
However, in a shocking development this October, Exantus was released under Mandatory Reentry Supervision, a Kentucky legal provision that allows certain inmates nearing the end of their sentences to serve the remainder under community supervision. According to the state&rsquo;s Department of Corrections, Exantus was approved to complete his supervision in Florida under the Interstate Compact for Adult Offender Supervision. His sentence is due to expire in June 2026.
The Kentucky Justice Cabinet emphasized that the Parole Board did not approve his release, saying, &ldquo;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.&rdquo;
The decision has reignited public anger and renewed calls for reform. Logan&rsquo;s mother, Heather Tipton, expressed disbelief and heartbreak over Exantus&rsquo; freedom. &ldquo;My first reaction was, finally. People are finally finding out about this. Ten years ago we tried to get the word out, but social media was not what it is now,&rdquo; she said.
The Tipton family is now pushing for &lsquo;Logan&rsquo;s Law,&rsquo; a proposed legislation that would ensure individuals found criminally insane for violent crimes remain in secure psychiatric facilities instead of being released. &ldquo;There needs to be something put in place that if people are violent and they say they&rsquo;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,&rdquo; Heather added.
Exantus&rsquo; former attorney, Bridget Hofler, acknowledged the pain of the victims but defended her client&rsquo;s progress. &ldquo;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,&rdquo; Hofler said, adding that Exantus had become a mental health advocate during his imprisonment.
As the White House reviews the case, Logan&rsquo;s family continues their fight, not just for justice, but to prevent other families from enduring the same loss. &ldquo;My brother will never be forgotten,&rdquo; said Koral.

White House Probes Early Release of Child Killer

Exantus, who fatally stabbed 6-year-old Logan Tipton, freed 13 years before term ends

White House Probes Early Release of Child Killer

Exantus, who fatally stabbed 6-year-old Logan Tipton, freed 13 years before term ends

October 5, 2025 | 19:12 IST