(WKYT) – Dean Tipton is asking for the community’s help as he continues fighting for justice in his son Logan’s name, launching a GoFundMe after the man who killed Logan was released from prison eight years early.
20-year sentence, receiving credit for time served and good behavior. A jury found Exantus not guilty by reason of insanity for the 2015 death of 6-year-old Logan Tipton and guilty but mentally ill for attacking other members of the Tipton family.
Tipton says the early release is not justice for his son.
“It just doesn’t sit right in my stomach knowing that he was able to earn that much time off. It just — it’s just not right, and more needs to be done to help the victims than the criminals,” Tipton said.
Logan’s Law and what comes next
Tipton worked with legislators to pass Logan’s Law this past session. The law expanded the definition of a violent offender, limited early release options, and eliminated split verdicts in mental illness cases.
Now Tipton wants to go further, specifically targeting the amount of time violent offenders can have credited off their sentences.
“He was able to knock off almost half of his time on a 20-year sentence, and we want to work on getting that time limited. A set amount of time for however many years, and depending on how violent the crime is, maybe no time at all being able to be knocked off,” Tipton said.
GoFundMe
Money raised through the family’s GoFundMe will be used to pay for attorneys and cover bills as Logan’s parents take time off work to lobby for these changes. As of Monday evening, about $1,200 has been raised.
State Reps. TJ Roberts (R-District 66) and Daniel Fister (R-District 56), who helped pass Logan’s Law, agreed that more work still needs to be done.
Last week, Robert told WKYT that he is focused on providing more transparency to families during an offender’s release.
Fister released the following statement:
“My heart breaks yet again for the Tipton family and our community as we are once again forced to endure the pain and uncertainty caused by Ronald Exantus. No family should have to endure this kind of trauma, and every Kentuckian deserves confidence that our justice system will protect innocent victims and hold violent offenders accountable. The General Assembly took an important step forward with Logan’s Law. I remain committed to working alongside the Tipton family, law enforcement, prosecutors, and others to identify additional improvements that strengthen Kentucky’s criminal laws, close gaps where they exist, and better protect our communities. We owe it to Logan’s memory – and to every family across the Commonwealth – to continue pursuing reforms that put the safety of innocent Kentuckians first.”
A link to the GoFundMe can be found here.