A former Ohio attorney walked into a crowded restaurant with a loaded handgun and allegedly went straight for his ex-wife—and newly released surveillance video shows just how close the situation came to turning into a deadly murder.
Matthew Exton, 43, was convicted of attempted murder after prosecutors said he confronted his former wife inside Sabira, a restaurant in downtown Toledo, Ohio, on April 11, 2025.
What happened next was caught on surveillance cameras.
According to prosecutors, Exton had been drinking at a neighboring restaurant when he spotted his ex-wife dining at Sabira with members of her family during the restaurant’s opening night.
Instead of simply walking away, prosecutors said Exton entered Sabira and ordered a drink that was sent over to his ex-wife’s table. He then allegedly spit toward the table as he walked out.
But that wasn’t the end of it.
Exton later returned to the restaurant carrying a loaded Colt Defender handgun.
Surveillance footage shows him approaching the table where his ex-wife was sitting before pulling the weapon from his clothing and pointing it directly toward her.
Prosecutors said Exton attempted to fire the gun at his ex-wife, but the weapon failed to discharge because its safety was still engaged.
The gun was not empty.
Investigators reportedly found one round in the chamber and seven additional rounds in the magazine.
That detail makes what happened next even more disturbing.
As Exton appeared to struggle with the firearm, a waiter identified as Tracy Cole Jr. rushed toward him and tackled him to the ground.
Other restaurant employees and patrons then jumped in to help restrain Exton until police arrived.
The surveillance footage shows how quickly the restaurant went from a normal opening-night celebration to complete chaos as people scrambled to stop the armed man.
Prosecutors described the incident as an attempted public execution of Exton’s former wife.
Lucas County Prosecutor Julia Bates praised the restaurant employees and customers who intervened, saying the staff could never have been prepared for someone to walk through the door with the intention of carrying out such an attack.
Exton’s defense, however, painted a very different picture.
During his trial, the former attorney denied that he intended to kill his ex-wife. He acknowledged pointing the gun at her but claimed his goal was to frighten her and pressure her to move faster on the sale of their former home.
Exton and his ex-wife had divorced in 2024. He reportedly testified that the divorce had left him struggling financially and even homeless, and he said he was frustrated over how matters involving their former home were being handled.
His explanation did not convince the jury.
A Lucas County jury found Exton guilty of attempted murder, two counts of felonious assault and multiple firearm specifications. Jurors did acquit him of one additional felonious-assault charge.
The conviction came more than a year after the restaurant confrontation, with the newly released surveillance footage now giving the public a disturbing look at the moments that prosecutors said could have ended with a woman being murdered in front of her family and other diners.
Exton’s legal career also came crashing down following the incident. His Ohio law license was suspended in May 2025.
Now, the former attorney is waiting to learn how long he will spend behind bars.
Exton is scheduled to be sentenced on September 21, 2026, and prosecutors have said he faces up to 25 years in prison.
For the people inside Sabira that night, however, the most important part of the story may have happened in a matter of seconds.
The gun didn’t fire.
And before Exton could try again, a waiter and several others decided to rush toward the danger instead of running away from it.
That split-second decision may have saved a woman’s life
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