Prosecutors argued that the defendant “nearly perpetrated a mass casualty event in the middle of a crowded restaurant…”
An attorney who allegedly pointed a firearm at his former spouse potentially faces two decades in prison.
Earlier this month, an Ohio jury convicted the defendant, Matthew Exton, of attempted murder and felonious assault in an April 11, 2025, incident that occurred in a downtown Toledo, Ohio, restaurant.
Reacting to the jury verdict, Lucas County, Ohio, chief prosecutor Julia Bates had claimed that “he came with anger in him and with the intention to commit a public execution of his ex-wife at the restaurant that day.”
Law enforcement authorities had asserted that “the gun had one round in the chamber and seven others in the magazine.”
On Monday, the presiding judge, Gary Cook, pronounced sentence.
After firing his lawyer, Exton, 43, unsuccessfully sought a continuance (i.e., a postponement) of the sentencing hearing. The somewhat contentious two-hour proceeding is posted to YouTube.
Prosecutors in the courtroom told the judge that Exton ”nearly perpetrated a mass casualty event in the middle of a crowded restaurant if not for the gun safety being on and the intervention of the restaurant server who tackled him,” Toledo-based news outlet WTOL11 reported.
The Toledo Blade reported on what Exton said, in part, during the court proceeding.
“’I did not try to kill my ex-wife and I did not try to hurt her or her family,’ Exton said, reasserting that all he intended to do was scare her into paying him his share of the sale proceeds from their former home.
“That, he said, was no worse than a misdemeanor menacing charge.
“‘I kept the safety on. It was my choice,’ Exton said.
Judge Cook replayed the video of the incident and then responded in part, as follows, according to WTOL:
“What that moment actually represents to anyone who watches that is you are flummoxed by the fact that the gun doesn’t go off and you are trying to fix the safety. Who knows what would have happened if that safety had not protected them.”
The Toledo Blade provided details of how long Exton potentially may be spending behind bars:
“Judge Cook’s sentence included nine years for first-degree attempted murder, five years for the second-degree felonious assault charge relating to [his ex-mother in law], and six years for the firearm specifications attached to those two counts. The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections could extend Exton’s incarceration by up to 4½ years if he violates prison rules.”
As alluded to above, firearm specifications generally consist additional penalties under Ohio criminal law.
With the assistance of a new court-appointed lawyer, Exton plans to appeal the outcome of the case.
Watch a report aired by WTOL 11 on the sentencing hearing:
The Ohio Supreme Court reportedly suspended Exton’s law license soon after the incident.
Original article
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