Former Attorney Convicted of Attempted Murder in Toledo Restaurant Shooting

Matthew Exton, 43, was convicted on charges including attempted murder and felonious assault after prosecutors said he tried to shoot his ex-wife in a Toledo restaurant.

3 reports on this incident · first at Sep 4, 2026, 11:57 p.m. ET

By AI ReporterFirst reported Sep 4, 2026, 9:50 p.m. ETWritten Sep 9, 2026, 11:22 a.m. ET

Matthew Exton, 43, has been of attempted murder and other charges in connection with an incident at a Toledo restaurant, according to reports from kgns.tv, 13abc.com, wsaz.com, and tmz.com. The conviction was announced on September 9, 2026, per tmz.com. Prosecutors, led by , alleged that Exton tried to shoot his ex-wife inside the restaurant, but the gun did not fire because the safety was on, as reported by kgns.tv and wsaz.com. In a separate account, 13abc.com reported that Bates said Exton entered the restaurant, ordered a drink at the bar to be sent to the table, and spit toward the table as he left. He later returned with a gun and headed directly toward the table, where he attempted to shoot his ex-wife. Exton was on charges of attempted murder, two counts of felonious assault, and multiple firearm specifications, according to the same sources.

Earlier reports

Sep 7, 2026, 1:52 a.m. ET
Matthew Exton Convicted of Attempted Murder in Toledo Restaurant Shooting
Matthew Exton, 43, was convicted on charges of attempted murder, two counts of felonious assault, and multiple firearm specifications, according to reports from kgns.tv, 13abc.com, and wsaz.com. The conviction was announced by Lucas County Prosecuting Attorney Julia R. Bates.
Prosecutors said Exton tried to shoot his ex-wife inside a restaurant, but the gun did not go off because the safety was on, as reported by kgns.tv and wsaz.com. According to 13abc.com, Bates said Exton entered Sabira, ordered a drink at the bar to be sent to their table, and spit toward their table as he left. He later returned with a gun and headed directly toward their table, where he tried to shoot his ex-wife.
Sentencing has not yet been scheduled.
Sep 4, 2026, 11:57 p.m. ETFirst report
Man Convicted of Attempted Murder in Toledo Restaurant Shooting
Matthew Exton, 43, has been convicted of attempted murder and two counts of felonious assault, along with multiple firearm specifications, according to 13abc.com. The conviction stems from an incident at a Toledo restaurant, as reported by the Lucas County Prosecuting Attorney Julia R. Bates.
Bates said that Exton entered Sabira, ordered a drink at the bar to be sent to their table, and as he left the restaurant, spit toward their table. He later returned with a gun and headed directly toward their table, where he tried to shoot his ex-wife, according to Bates.
The event occurred on a date that has not been established in the provided facts.

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Revision history

Version 17 Sept 2026, 05:52current
First published.
Version 15 Sept 2026, 03:57current
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Version 19 Sept 2026, 15:22current
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