A former nurse who killed a six-year-old boy in a brutal home invasion has been released from prison after serving only half of his 20-year sentence, sparking outrage from the victim’s grieving family.
According to the Daily Mail, Ronald Exantus, who fatally stabbed Logan Tipton during a 2015 home invasion, was freed in September under parole supervision with no advance notice to the victim’s relatives, leaving the family devastated and fearful.
In December 2015, Ronald Exantus, then a 32-year-old dialysis nurse, left his home in Indianapolis and traveled to Versailles, Kentucky. There, in the early morning hours, he broke into the Tipton family’s home while they were sleeping. Exantus crept upstairs with a butcher knife and attacked six-year-old Logan Tipton, fatally stabbing the child in the head multiple times.
According to investigators, Exantus also injured Logan’s father and two of Logan’s sisters in the chaotic scene that unfolded. One of his sisters, Dakota, suffered a stab wound to the back and had her head stomped during the attack. Exantus told police he had seen a street sign labeled “Gray Street” that reminded him of the television show "Grey’s Anatomy," which prompted a delusion that led him to mimic surgery with real knives.
Exantus’s unsettling journey from Indiana and the events leading up to the attack shocked the community and devastated the Tipton family. During questioning, Exantus described being compelled to reenact surgery, offering a glimpse into the disordered thinking that contributed to the violence. He was ultimately arrested at the scene by local authorities.
Insanity Defense Resulted in a Reduced Sentence
In 2018, Exantus stood trial and was found not guilty by reason of insanity on murder charges, but was convicted as guilty but mentally ill on lesser assault charges. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors argued that Exantus may have been under the influence of synthetic drugs during the crime, challenging his insanity defense. Witnesses also testified to his erratic behavior leading up to the night of the attack.
Due to time served before sentencing, Exantus became eligible for parole as early as 2019. His first attempt at gaining parole was denied in 2021, and a second review was deferred in 2023, indicating that officials still had concerns about his release at that time.
Despite these previous denials, Exantus accumulated educational and good behavior credits while incarcerated, which contributed to his early release in late September 2025. He is now in Florida under mandatory reentry supervision, where he will complete the rest of his sentence under parole authority.
Victim’s Family Upset After Not Being Alerted
The Tipton family was not notified about Exantus's release until after he had already left prison, a revelation that has caused renewed trauma and fear. Heather Tipton, Logan's mother, expressed disbelief over the lack of communication. She questioned how victims could be excluded from such an important update involving their son's killer. "If you're a victim... and a violent criminal is going to be released... You should be offered some sort of security or protection — or at least just a phone call," she said, speaking to local news outlet Lex18. Heather emphasized how the incident had forever changed her family. She said that the attack didn’t just take her son’s life but also altered the lives of every family member who survived.
Dean Tipton, Logan’s father, also spoke publicly about the emotional toll and the enduring fear that Exantus could return. He revealed during interviews that Exantus once declared he would "kill them all." Dean has struggled with overwhelming grief, separating himself from his loved ones, and even losing the will to live after the tragedy.
Parole Sparks Renewed Fears and Safety Concerns
Dean described the night of the attack in haunting terms. He recalled how he and his children were attacked and how he found Logan being stabbed while screaming for help. Another of Logan’s sisters, Dakota, offered her own account. “I remember waking up across the room, not where I was at, and I looked, and he was killing Logan, and Logan was screaming,” she said in a chilling memory of the trauma. Dean expressed feelings of betrayal over the justice system allowing early release for someone responsible for such a devastating crime. “You took a human being’s life, not just any life, but a six-year-old boy,” he said. He added his position remained that anyone who takes a life—regardless of mental health status—should serve life in prison without parole.
In another interview, Dean warned that if he ever encountered Exantus again, he would take matters into his own hands, saying, “I will kill the man. I will kill him where he stands.” His remarks reflect a father’s torment and a sense of helplessness with a system that he believes failed to protect his family.
Family Calls for Reform in Victim Notification Laws
Since learning about the release, the Tiptons have called for a change in how victims’ families are treated in the criminal justice process. Heather posed the troubling question: “It just feels like a six-year-old’s life is worth more than ten years in prison.” The family emphasized that they were not asking for revenge, but for accountability and transparency. Heather and Dean have both stated that no family should ever experience what they’ve had to endure—losing a child to violence, enduring years of grief, and then living in fear of facing the perpetrator once again. Their calls for justice now go beyond their own tragedy and seek protection for other families in similar situations.
Although Exantus remains under supervision in Florida, the Tiptons say that knowledge alone provides little comfort. As they try to move forward, their son’s memory continues to drive their efforts to push for criminal justice and victim support reforms.
