Ohio Lawyer Who Tried To Shoot Ex Sentenced to 24 1/2 Years in Prison

Published September 21, 2026 2:02 PM PDT

The former Ohio lawyer whose attempt to shoot his ex-wife in public was foiled by his gun's safety just had the book thrown at him ... the judge sentenced him to nearly a quarter-century behind bars and used video of the attack to tear apart his defense.

Matthew Exton was sentenced Monday for attempted murder, two counts of felonious assault, and multiple firearm charges after he was convicted earlier this month in a trial that went viral.

Waiting for your permission to load the Twitter Tweet.

The 43-year-old insisted he never intended to kill or hurt his ex-wife ... calling the charges political and arguing, "Guns don't kill people, people kill people."

Judge Gary Cook wasn't buying it ... he played surveillance footage showing Exton scrambling with the weapon after it failed to fire, telling him, "You are flummoxed by the fact that it did not go off, and you're trying to fix the safety."

The judge said that moment cemented Exton's intent.

As TMZ previously reported, Exton walked into a crowded Toledo restaurant in April 2025, pointed a loaded gun at his ex-wife and pulled the trigger -- but the safety was still engaged.

A waiter tackled him before he could try again, and several patrons helped wrestle away the weapon.

Prosecutors later claimed Exton impersonated a police officer to buy a gun in 2024 ... and they also pointed to alleged death threats, an unauthorized late-night entry into the victim's home, and testimony that he bragged he could "kill anyone and get away with it."

Exton's Ohio law license remains suspended.