Man Found Not Guilty of Murdering 6-Year-Old Boy by Reasons of Insanity Is Released From Prison

A man who killed a 6-year-old boy in 2015 but was found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity has been released from prison.

Ronald Exantus was released from prison on Wednesday afternoon, according to the Kentucky Department of Corrections. He is not required to be admitted to a hospital or mental facility and will walk as a free man.

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Exantus was found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity in 2018 for the death of 6-year-old Logan Tipton and guilty but mentally ill on three counts for attacking Logan’s family members.

Officials said during a mental health episode, Exantus broke into Logan’s family home, where he stabbed the child to death and attacked Logan’s father and two sisters.

Exantus’ attorneys said he is genetically schizophrenic and is now being treated for it.

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Roberts, who helped pass “Logan’s Law” this year, called for Exantus to be involuntarily hospitalized prior to his release.

A state statute requires courts to conduct an involuntary hospitalization proceeding when a defendant is found not guilty by reason of insanity, but a letter from the cabinet states that because the jury was split on Exantus’ mental capacity, the court did not immediately conduct that proceeding.

Had Logan’s Law been in place in 2015, Roberts said the court would have been required to hold an involuntary hospitalization proceeding.

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Kearney said that Exantus’ maximum serve-out date was Nov. 24, 2035, but under Kentucky law he received nearly nine years of sentence credit that accelerated his release by completing certain programs.

Defense attorney Dan Carman said early release for those reasons is not uncommon.

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Kearney reiterated that her office did everything it could to keep Exantus off the streets but that his release is a matter governed by Kentucky law and administered by the department of corrections.

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