LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – The tragic death of Logan Tipton a decade ago has gotten renewed national attention in the days since the announcement of Exantus’ release. Ronald Exantus was released from prison just over a week ago. He’s now back in jail in Florida.

Exantus was convicted in the 2015 stabbing death of 6-year-old Logan Tipton and injuring Logan’s father and two sisters. In 2018, a jury found him guilty but mentally ill for the assaults and not guilty of murder by reason of insanity.

Despite a 20-year prison sentence, he was released a decade early due to a Kentucky law and requested to do his mandatory re-entry supervision in Florida.

It’s been one week since Logan’s father, Dean Tipton, told WKYT after having a talk with God, he would kill Ronald Exantus if they ever crossed paths.

But now, Tipton and his family are breathing a sigh of relief after their son’s killer is back behind bars.

“I’m extremely surprised by it, but I’m so glad Florida was on the ball,” Dean Tipton said.

Dean Tipton adds he thought Exantus would have tried abiding by the law after just being released.

“This man just spent almost 10 years in prison. You would think that he would do everything he needed to do to stay out,” he said.

On Saturday, Oct. 4, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on X the White House is “looking into” the Exantus case.

However, five days later the family says they have yet to hear from anyone.

“You know you say you’re investigating this, come talk to the family. Find out what this family has been through,” Dean Tipton said.

The family also states they are let down that they have yet to hear from the governor’s office. Hours before the interview, Gov. Andy Beshear stated he was willing to work with the state legislature to change the law that required Exantus’ release.

“I’m honestly not surprised because we have reached out to the governor’s office before and got no response then,” Dean Tipton said.

The family is now calling on the Kentucky legislature to take action. They are asking legislators to pass Logan’s Law to supersede the law that allowed Exantus out.

In addition, the Tipton’s say they are calling upon President Trump to help get justice for their son.

“Please help us [President Trump]. This has been a long ten years. A lot that I don’t think was done right,” said Heather Tipton, Logan’s mother.

Going forward, the family says they remain hopeful that one day Logan will get the justice he deserves.

Copyright 2025 WKYT. All rights reserved.

Hundreds of Kentucky Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association-member trainers are now eligible to sign up for a workers’ compensation policy that covers their stable employees at a possible substantial savings, according to the horsemen’s organization.

In an Oct. 9 release, the Kentucky HBPA said members are now eligible for an existing, partial self-funded workers’ compensation program created and managed by horsemen. The insurance eligibility and procedures will be under HBPA Insurance Workers’ Compensation. The partial self-funded program is administered by Gallagher Risk Management and insured by Bridgefield Casualty Insurance Company, which is an A+ superior-rated insurer by A.M. Best.

Signups already have begun. Trainers can find out more about eligibility requirements and get an application by emailing or stopping in the Kentucky HBPA office and visiting with Yeruza Rodriguez (yrodriguez@lahbpa.org). Trainers can email Brandon Hamilton at brandon_hamilton@ajg.com or Cindy Leigh at cleigh@lahbpa.org to secure an application.  

Jordan Blair has been waiting for such a breakthrough workers’ comp program for Kentucky trainers for years. To illustrate the savings, Blair said he would have saved approximately 30% annually with the HBPA Insurance Workers’ Compensation program compared with his previous policy.

“I couldn’t be happier. It really is fair,” said Blair, a first-term Kentucky HBPA board member. “It’s a great deal for Kentucky horsemen. It’s hard to make money training horses. The only way I make money is by winning races. I don’t make money on my day rate. Workers’ comp is one of the biggest expenses a trainer has. This savings is going to trickle down. That’s not money staying in the bank. The benefits are going to be passed on to everyone involved.”

How it works

According to the Kentucky HBPA, by being partially self-funded and a not-for-profit, HBPA Insurance avoids advertising, commissions, some taxes, and other costs that are part of for-profit insurance companies. The program uses a per-start format that reduces the need for trainers to undergo cumbersome workers’ comp payroll analysis. 

To be eligible, a Kentucky-based trainer will have to make at least 60 starts in a year among affiliate states that already have the program in place (currently Kentucky, Louisiana, and Florida). Any new HBPA affiliate added to the program automatically will be included.

Trainers signing up for the workers’ comp program must be a card-signed member of the Kentucky HBPA.

The nonrefundable minimum policy is $1,500. That covers a trainer’s initial starts, with the per-start fee kicking in after that initial deposit is exhausted. The per-start fee is a tiered system, starting at $110 per runner. The fee increases for those who have had workers’ comp claims. Like any workers’ comp insurance, a policyholder can be dropped, or not accepted in the first place, if they have too many claims.

HBPA Insurance will have field agents to work with horsemen to process workers’ comp claims in a timely fashion, as well as to make sure trainers and their staff adhere to safety practices.

“Workers’ comp is among the crushing costs for horsemen,” said Kentucky HBPA president Dale Romans. “This is a way to help all trainers by taking that rate down. This has been something our horsemen have wanted and needed for a long time. This is truly horsemen helping horsemen.”

This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.