LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A Kentucky bill that would make major changes to sentencing and parole in Kentucky is moving forward.
House Bill 422, also known as Logan's Law, is named after Logan Tipton, who was killed when Ronald Exantus broke into his family home on Douglas Avenue in Versailles on Dec. 7, 2015.
Exantus was sentenced in 2018 to 20 years in prison for stabbing Tipton to death. He also stabbed Logan's sister, who survived, and assaulted their father. He was arrested after Logan's father tackled him and held him down until police arrived.
Ronald Exantus was booked into the Kentucky State Reformatory in La Grange on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, after his extradition from Florida. (Photo courtesy of VINE)
During his six-day trial, the defense argued Exantus was insane at the time of the crime and in a state of psychosis. But both the defense and prosecution admitted that he killed the boy.
Exantus was found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity, but he was convicted for the brutal assaults on other family members the night he broke into the home.
It was filed in response to Exantus being released from prison early on good behavior in October 2025 after serving less than half of his 20-year prison sentence for Tipton's death.
The Kentucky Department of Corrections was required to release Exantus on Mandatory Reentry Supervision per Kentucky law, despite the parole board voting unanimously to keep him in prison every time it had the opportunity. The board doesn't have the authority to release inmates on MRS, which is a process governed by state law.
Logan's Law would expand the definition of a violent offender and increase the time certain offenders must serve before parole. That includes raising parole eligibility for life sentences from 25 to 35 years. It would also limit early release options for violent felons.
The bill passed through committee Wednesday after lawmakers heard from Logan Tipton's father.
"This is about accountability. My 6-year-old son will never have accountability for his murder," said Dean Tipton. "No family should ever have to suffer the fact that their child was not important enough to keep this man behind bars. He brutally, he stabbed my son 27 times while he slept."
The bill would also reform the statute on an insanity plea, and create a pathway for severely mentally ill defendants to receive proper treatment. Additionally, it would add mandatory reentry supervision reform and make sure that if the parole board denies parole to someone convicted of a violent felony, that person would not be eligible for early release.
To read HB 422/Logan's Law, click here.
Previous Coverage:
'Logan's life mattered' | Family pushes for Kentucky law after son's killer released early
Forensic psychologist raises concerns, calls for more guidelines to Kentucky's Logan's Law
Kentucky Republicans file 'Logan's Law' for parole reform after child’s 2015 stabbing death
Kentucky parole board orders Ronald Exantus to remain in prison
Kentucky lawmakers urge parole board to deem Ronald Exantus 'ineligible' for re-release
Man who killed Kentucky child in 2015 extradited from Florida for failing to register as a felon
Family says Kentucky lawmaker exploited death of 6-year-old son to raise campaign money
Kentucky lawmaker plans to file bills in response to early release of man in 6-year-old boy's death
Kentucky man who killed 6-year-old boy in 2015 arrested in Florida 1 week after early release
KSP investigating threats to state parole board after convicted murderer's early release
Man who killed Versailles boy in his bedroom in 2015 released early from Kentucky prison
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