Former Ohio attorney Matthew Exton was convicted by a Lucas County jury of attempted murder, two counts of felonious assault, and multiple firearm specifications stemming from an April 11, 2025, attack on his ex-wife inside a Toledo restaurant.
The trial concluded with verdicts from the Lucas County jury finding Exton, 43, guilty of the primary charge of attempted murder alongside two counts of felonious assault and associated weapons specifications. Jurors acquitted Exton on a remaining count of felonious assault.
The Attack at Sabira Restaurant
The sequence of events began on April 11, 2025, when Exton was seen ordering a drink at the bar of a Toledo establishment, according to Lucas County Prosecuting Attorney Julia R. Bates. After leaving that location, Exton spotted his ex-wife and members of her family dining at Sabira, an adjacent restaurant next door.
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Exton entered Sabira, approached the bar to order another drink, and had it sent over to their table. As he walked out of the establishment, he spat toward his ex-wife’s table. He then left the premises only to return shortly afterward armed with a gun, marching directly toward the family’s table with the intention of shooting his ex-wife.
Authorities confirmed that the weapon failed to discharge because the safety mechanism was still engaged. Before he could try to shoot again, a waiter and multiple restaurant patrons intervened, tackling Exton.
“Nothing in their training and soft openings at the restaurant could have prepared the staff for what walked through that door,” prosecutor Bates said, describing the defendant’s mindset. “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 publicly praised the quick response of the employees and patrons who stepped in to stop the attack, referring to them as heroes.
Legal Fallout and Licensing Suspensions
Exton had law offices in Sylvania and Traverse City. In the wake of the April 2025 incident, the Ohio Supreme Court intervened, officially suspending his law license in May 2025.
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A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for September 21.
