Stranger who killed boy, 6, as he slept in his bed in 2015 is freed from jail for SECOND time, outraging the victim's distraught parents

By BETHAN SEXTON, US ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Published: 15:07, 31 July 2026 | Updated: 15:07, 31 July 2026 A killer who broke into a family's home and knifed a six-year-old to death at random  has been released from prison for a second time after serving just over half his sentence. Ronald Exantus, 42, walked out of prison in Kentucky on Wednesday after serving almost 11 years in connection with the attack that killed Logan Tipton. Logan was sleeping soundly in his room in Versailles in 2015 when Exantus burst in and stabbed him in the head with a knife, before attacking the boy's father and two sisters, who survived. Exantus was found not guilty by reason of insanity due to his schizophrenia over the murder, but was sentenced to prison time for the violent assaults on Logan's family. He was previously released from prison in October 2025 under Kentucky's mandatory reentry supervision laws, despite protestations by the parole board and Logan's family. However, just 12 days after his release, he was re-arrested in Florida after failing to register as a convicted felon before being returned to jail. Exantus has now been released for a second time after his sentence expired. He is not required to enter a psychiatric hospital and walked out a free man. 'Knowing that this monster gets to walk free and live his life, while I lay in this bed and my baby boy is in the grave. This may be my breaking point,' Logan's father Dean Tipton said. Logan Tipton was stabbed repeatedly in the head with a butcher's knife at his home in Kentucky, but his killer was found not guilty by reason of insanity due to schizophrenia Ronald Exantus, seen here in his most recent prison mugshot, was cleared of the murder but convicted on other charges related to the attack which also saw him knife Logan's father and sisters. He has now been released from jail Exantus became eligible for parole in 2019 due to credit for time served but was denied in 2021, and deferred in 2023 for two years before his first release last year.  His maximum release date was set for 2035, but he received nine years of sentence credit for completing certain programs.  His attorneys said that he is undergoing treatment for his mental health problems. The decision to release him has infuriated Logan's family. 'The judge and jury gave this monster a slap on the wrist while handing down a life sentence to my family,' his father Dean Tipton said. Tipton was at his home when Exantus, a former dialysis nurse, gained entry via an unlocked door on December 7, 2015. Armed with a large kitchen knife, he launched a vicious attack on the household, murdering Logan and severely injuring Tipton and his two young sisters. Logan was stabbed repeatedly in the head with such rage that the blade of the butcher's knife bent out of shape. Exantus later admitted to officers that he had stabbed and killed the child. Armed with a large kitchen knife, Exantus launched a vicious attack on the household, murdering Logan and severely injuring his father and two young sisters  Exantus received credit for time served which reduced his sentence. He was released in 2015 before being re-arrested after failing to register as a felon in Florida, however he has now been let go for a second time The killing was seemingly unplanned, with Exantus trying numerous addresses on the Tiptons's street before making his way inside their home.  Exantus told officers he had seen a sign for a Gray Street and it reminded him of the medical TV show Grey's Anatomy.  He told police at the time that he believed he needed to 're-enact surgery' inside the Tiptons's home and that the street name 'made him think of knives for surgery.' Tipton and his relatives have since successfully campaigned for changes to the way cases like Exantus's would be handled. Logan's Law strengthens sentencing and parole for violent offenders and introduces stricter mental health evaluations prior to any release Kentucky state representative TJ Roberts said Exantus's case would have been handled differently if Logan's Law had been in place in 2015. 'What I'm going to say is this: Stay out of Kentucky. We are not the place for you,' Roberts told Fox8 Live. 'The justice system once again victimized the Tipton family by putting this monster back on the streets and it’s ultimately made Kentuckians less safe.'  The attack also left two of Logan's sisters seriously injured as well as their father Dean Tipton  Exantus gained entry to the family's home in Versaille, Kentucky, via an unlocked door before carrying out the frenzied attack The 14th Judicial Circuit Commonwealth’s Attorney Kelli Kearney said her office had taken every possible legal step to keep the public safe from Exantus.  The 14th Judicial Circuit Commonwealth’s Attorney Kelli Kearney said her office had taken every possible legal step to keep the public safe from Exantus.  'Unfortunately, Ronald Exantus will be released from custody as a free man this afternoon,' Kearney said. 'We recognize the fear, frustration, and concern this release has caused the Tipton family and our community. 'We share those concerns and remain committed to pursuing justice and advocating for victims.' Woodford County Judge James Kay also lamented the 'injustice' of the release. 'Today brings tremendous pain back to the surface for their family and for all of Woodford County,' he said Wednesday in a statement linking to the family's GoFundMe. 'Upon the release of the killer responsible for this tragedy, we feel the dark, crushing weight of anger, grief, and a devastating sense of injustice.  Logan's family have since successfully campaigned for Logan's Law which strengthens sentencing and parole of violent offenders 'Justice in this life is often flawed and incomplete. In this case, there is only injustice.  'The news today will never dull the bright, glorious light of Logan Tipton. It will never dim his love.' A spokeswoman for the Kentucky Department of Corrections said: 'Pursuant to state laws passed by Kentucky’s General Assembly, Ronald Exantus has served the sentence issued by the Woodford Circuit Court and has been released.  'He is no longer in the custody of the Department of Corrections. The Kentucky Parole Board did not release Exantus, and he was not released early.' Exantus' public defense lawyer said she was unable to comment  The Daily Mail has contacted the Tipton family for comment.