A Toledo attorney accused of trying to shoot and kill his ex-wife inside a restaurant full of patrons has been convicted, according to Lucas County Prosecuting Attorney Julia Bates. Matthew Exton, 43, faces at least 20 years in prison after a jury found him guilty Sept. 5 of attempted murder, two counts of felonious assault and multiple firearm specifications.
Lucas County Judge Gary Cook sentenced Exton on Sept. 21 to serve at least 20 years and up to 24 1/2 years in prison. The jury found him not guilty on a remaining count of felonious assault.
On April 11, 2025, Exton ordered a drink at the bar inside Souk restaurant in Toledo. After leaving, he saw his ex-wife and her family at Sabira restaurant next door, which was celebrating its opening night, Bates said.
Exton entered Sabira, ordered a drink at the bar to be sent to their table and, as he left, spit toward their table, Bates said.
He later returned with a gun and headed directly toward the table, where he tried to shoot his ex-wife. The gun did not fire because the safety was still on.
A waiter and multiple patrons tackled Exton before he could try to shoot again. The gun had one round in the chamber and seven others in the magazine.
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. We appreciate the jury’s service this week and we hope its decision provides some sense of closure for those seated at the table as well as the Sabira employees who were also victimized that day. The employees and patrons who stepped in to stop the defendant that day are heroes.”
