Background: Ronald Exantus appears in court (WHAS/YouTube). Inset: Ladeidra Jones, chair of the Kentucky Parole Board (Kentucky.gov).
The Kentucky Parole Board is sounding the alarm after it says “inaccurate information” about a killer”s release from prison has caused its members to receive threats.
Ronald Exantus, 42, was found not guilty by reason of insanity in 2018 in the death of 6-year-old Logan Tipton, a 2015 killing that shook the Lexington-area community where it occurred. Exantus was, however, found guilty of assault, landing him in state prison.
The story has resurfaced after Exantus was released from prison. And while the Kentucky Parole Board has come under fire following that development, its chair says not only was the decision out of its members’ hands — but the members actually voted to keep Exantus locked up.
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“Despite repeatedly voting for Ronald Exantus to remain in prison, Parole Board members have faced significant threats over the last several days, even having their personal addresses released publicly,” Ladeidra Jones, chair of the Kentucky Parole Board, said in a press release on Monday. “We are encouraging individuals to take these threats seriously and to prioritize factual information, which is that the board did not release Exantus – instead, a law passed by the General Assembly did.”
The state law she references required “mandatory reentry supervision six months prior to projected completion date of inmate’s sentence for inmate not granted discretionary parole.”
The state parole board further explained that it reviewed the defendant’s case on Sept. 30 — “as required by state law” — and “unanimously voted” that he remain in prison. However, the law, which is listed as having become effective in 2017, “required the Department of Corrections to release the inmate.”
The Kentucky State Police is reportedly investigating the threats against the nine-member parole board, with the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet — the entity that oversees the parole board — warning against the danger of such threats.
“At a time when political violence is on the rise, it’s more important than ever that information shared is accurate and threats like these are taken seriously,” the cabinet said. “The Parole Board, Team Kentucky and the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet are urging individuals to stop the threats against Board members, share the facts and understand that sharing misleading and incorrect information is dangerous.”
It is unclear who exactly has made such threats and whether anyone has been charged for them.
The scrutiny of Exantus’ release has reached as high as the White House. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on social media on Saturday that “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.”
Inset left: Ronald Exantus (Kentucky Online Offender Lookup). Inset right: Logan Tipton (WKYT/YouTube). Background: The Tipton home where the attack and killing occurred (WKYT/YouTube).
The deadly attack occurred on Dec. 7, 2015, and Logan’s father, Dean Tipton, was reportedly sleeping. He was woken up by his children, who were saying a man was in the home attacking them.
“When I got to the top of the stairs, he attacked me. He come at me with the knife,” Tipton said, per Lexington-based CBS and The CW affiliate WKYT. “He stood up with me on top of him, just stood up and threw me 10-15 feet across the room,” the father — who was also injured in the attack along with his two daughters — added.
The Tipton family expressed shock that Exantus could be released, with Logan’s grandmother suggesting “justice” has been denied.
Tipton, who said he “gave up” following the death of his son, asserted with no room for doubt what he would do if he ever saw Exantus.
“I’m not afraid to tell you, I told the court, if I ever cross paths with him, I will kill the man,” the father said. “I will kill him where he stands.”
