A former attorney was convicted of attempted murder after officials in Ohio said he tried to carry out the “public execution” of his ex-wife in a Toledo restaurant last year.Matthew Exton, 43, tried to shoot her, but the gun’s safety was on, and a waiter tackled him before he could try again, the Lucas County Prosecutor’s Office said in a news release Friday.Exton was also convicted of two counts of felonious assault, with sentencing enhancements linked to all three charges, the prosecutor’s office said.
Exton was acquitted of one count of assault.He is scheduled to be sentenced later this month.Prosecutors say Matthew Exton tried to shoot his ex-wife on April 11, 2025, at Sabira restaurant in downtown Toledo.Lucas County Prosecutor's OfficeDuring a trial that ended last week, Exton testified that he’d worked as a prosecutor in Michigan and was licensed to practice law in Ohio.
He’d handled divorce, family and bankruptcy cases, he said, but he became homeless after he split up with his wife.The couple divorced in 2024, according to court records.He testified that he was frustrated by how she’d handled certain aspects of their divorce when he pulled a Colt Defender on her in the downtown Toledo restaurant on April 11, 2025.
Exton saw his ex-wife and her family at the restaurant, which was having its opening night, as he left a different restaurant next door, according to the prosecutor’s office.Exton testified that he pointed the gun to show he was serious about her following a court order.
He denied trying to shoot her.“I did not fire,” he said.“I did not hurt her.
I did not try to hurt her.”Before he pointed the gun, prosecutors said, Exton ordered a drink and had it taken to the table where his ex was sitting with her family.He spat toward them and left, the prosecutor’s office said.He returned with a gun and headed straight for his ex, according to the release.Video released by the prosecutor’s office showed Exton approaching t...