A child murderer who was scheduled to be released from prison after only serving a portion of his sentence is facing an additional charge after public outrage.
Ronald Exantus snuck into a home in Versailles, Kentucky, on Dec. 7, 2015, and stabbed 6-year-old Logan Tipton in the head, killing him. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity but was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2018 for assaulting the boy’s family members.
‘I told the court — if I ever cross paths with him, I will kill the man.’
His case inspired outrage across the country after Exantus was scheduled to be released after serving only seven years of his sentence for good behavior. The Kentucky Justice Cabinet said in a statement that the parole board recommended Exantus finish out the rest of his term but that he had fulfilled the requirements to be released on mandatory re-entry supervision based on Kentucky state law.
“He will stay on [mandatory re-entry supervision] under probation and parole supervision until the expiration of his sentence. The Department of Corrections does not have discretion in determining release dates, which are governed by state law,” a statement from the cabinet reads.
The public outrage caught the attention of the White House, which released a statement on Saturday.
“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,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote.
Five days later, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said his office was taking action to keep Exantus behind bars.
“My office has been working with State Attorney Gladson’s office in Marion County since we were alerted that this dangerous individual who murdered a child by repeatedly stabbing him in the head was in Florida,” he wrote in a post on social media.
“This afternoon, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and 5th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office obtained a warrant for the arrest of Ronald Exantus for failure to register as a convicted felon,” he added. “State officials are now working to send him back to Kentucky. I want to thank Sheriff Woods and State Attorney Gladson for keeping our communities safe from this dangerous felon.”
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The case also received national attention after the father of the victim said that he would kill Exantus on the spot if he ran into him in public.
“I’ve had my talks with God ’cause I’m not afraid to tell you all, I told the court — if I ever cross paths with him, I will kill the man,” Dean Tipton told WLKY-TV. “I will kill him where he stands.”
If Uthmeier is successful in prosecuting Exantus, Tipton won’t need to put his own freedom at risk to avenge this son.
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