An Ohio lawyer, Matthew Exton, marched into a crowded Toledo restaurant to shoot his ex-wife, but forgot to take the safety off his gun

A Lucas County jury convicted 43-year-old attorney Matthew Exton of attempted murder, two counts of felonious assault, and multiple firearm specifications on September 5, 2026. As reported by TMZ, the verdict closes out a case stemming from an incident at a crowded Toledo restaurant during its opening night. The jury returned a not guilty verdict on one additional felonious assault count.

The incident occurred on April 11, 2025, when Exton first stopped at a restaurant called Souk to order a drink. After leaving, he spotted his ex-wife and her family dining nearby at Sabira, which was hosting its opening night. He entered, ordered a drink sent to their table, and spit toward the family before leaving the restaurant.

Exton then returned to Sabira armed with a gun and walked directly toward the table where his ex-wife was seated. He attempted to fire the weapon at her, but it did not discharge because the safety mechanism was still engaged, according to prosecutors. The firearm held one round in the chamber and seven more in the magazine at the time.

Restaurant staff and diners stepped in before he could try again

A waiter tackled Exton, and several other patrons helped restrain him before he could attempt to fire the gun a second time. Lucas County Prosecutor Julia R. Bates described the incident as a planned attempt at a public execution, saying Exton arrived at the restaurant that day with one clear goal in mind.

“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,” she continued, adding that the staff and patrons who intervened were heroes, a response that echoed public reaction to unrelated reports of AI agents acting without oversight that also circulated this week.

The Ohio Supreme Court suspended Exton’s law license in May 2025, about one month after the incident, according to 13abc. He had previously maintained law offices in both Sylvania and Traverse City, and the entire confrontation inside the restaurant was captured on video that became a key piece of evidence at trial, a case that concluded the same week a volcano stranded thousands of travelers.

Exton is scheduled to be sentenced on September 21.