TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG/Gray News) – A former attorney accused of trying to shoot and kill his ex-wife inside an Ohio restaurant full of patrons has been convicted, authorities said.
A Lucas County jury found Matthew Exton, 43, guilty of attempted murder, two counts of felonious assault and multiple firearm specifications.
The jury found Exton not guilty on a remaining count of felonious assault.
On April 11, 2025, Exton ordered a drink at the bar inside a restaurant in Toledo. After leaving the restaurant, he saw his ex-wife and her family at another restaurant next door, according to Lucas County Prosecuting Attorney Julia R. Bates.
Exton entered Sabira, ordered a drink at the bar to be sent to their table and spat toward their table as he walked out.
He later returned with a gun and headed directly toward their table, where he tried to shoot his ex-wife. The gun did not go off because the safety was still on.
A waiter and multiple patrons tackled Exton before he could try to shoot again.
Exton, an attorney with law offices in Sylvania and Traverse City, had his law license suspended by the Ohio Supreme Court in May 2025 following the incident.
“Nothing in their training and soft openings at the restaurant could have prepared the staff for what walked through that door,” Bates said. “The defendant did not come with the intention of having a meal. He came with anger in him and with the intention to commit a public execution of his ex-wife at the restaurant that day.”
Bates praised the employees and patrons who stepped in to stop Exton, calling them heroes.
Exton is set to be sentenced Sept. 21.
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