A disbarred Ohio attorney who pulled a loaded handgun on his former wife in a crowded restaurant has been sentenced to up to 24 years in prison. A waiter tackled him before he could fire.
Matthew Exton, 43, was sentenced Monday in Lucas County Common Pleas Court after jurors convicted him of attempted murder and two counts of felonious assault. The charges stemmed from the confrontation at Sabira restaurant in downtown Toledo.
The incident occurred on April 11, 2025, as Exton’s former wife, Kayda Valone, celebrated the restaurant’s opening with members of her family.
Prosecutors said Exton had been drinking at the nearby Souk restaurant when he noticed Valone and her relatives at Sabira. He briefly entered the restaurant, ordered a drink for their table and then left.
He returned moments later—this time armed with a Colt Defender handgun.
Exton walked toward the table where Valone was seated and raised the weapon. Prosecutors said he tried to shoot her at close range, but the handgun did not fire because its safety was engaged.
Instead of retreating, Exton began handling the firearm in an apparent effort to make it discharge.
Waiter Tracy Cole Jr. then stepped in, tackling Exton and knocking him to the floor. Several other diners helped hold him down until police arrived.
Former lawyer Matthew Exton, who stormed into an Ohio restaurant and aimed a handgun at his ex-wife, Kayda Valone, last April, was sentenced Monday to up to 24 and a half years in prison
Surveillance video captured the moment Exton pointed a gun at Valone on April 11, 2025, inside Sabira, a restaurant in downtown Toledo
Before his arrest, Exton operated law offices in Sylvania, Ohio, and Traverse City, Michigan. His Ohio law license was suspended after the restaurant attack, and he represented himself at sentencing after dismissing his attorney
According to prosecutors, the handgun contained one round in the chamber and seven additional rounds in its magazine.
Exton later acknowledged in court that he had pointed the weapon at Valone, but insisted he never intended to kill her.
Exton had fired his lawyer and asked the judge to postpone the hearing. Judge Cook denied the request and moved forward with sentencing.
“I did not try to kill my ex-wife and I did not try to hurt her or her family. I kept the safety on—it was my choice,” Exton said.
Testifying in his own defense, Exton repeated that he had intended only to frighten Valone into hastening the sale of their former home so he could receive his share of the proceeds. He argued that his conduct amounted to no more than misdemeanor menacing.
Prosecutors rejected that explanation, saying Exton’s conduct showed an attempt to kill Valone. They pointed to surveillance footage of the confrontation as evidence of his clear intent.
“This is the reason we are here,” the judge said while replaying more than a minute of footage. The video showed Exton entering the restaurant, aiming the gun at Valone, pulling it back and then reaching toward it with his other hand when it apparently failed to fire.
“That is the most chilling moment,” Judge Cook said. “You are flummoxed by why the gun didn’t go off, and you are trying to fix the safety.”
The gun did not fire during the attack because its safety was engaged. Kayda, Exton’s former wife, was seated at the table with her parents
Several patrons, including Kayda and her parents, surrounded Exton as he was slammed to the ground by a heroic water
The jury convicted Exton of attempted murder and two counts of felonious assault, although he was acquitted of another felonious assault charge, stating that a mass casualty event was avoided that day.
‘He nearly perpetrated a mass casualty event in the middle of a crowded restaurant. … He had no regard for anyone or anything other than himself,’ prosecutor Mike Loisel declared, according to a live feed of the proceedings.
However, the jury acquitted Exton for the attempted murder of Charles Valone, his former father-in-law, who testified at trial that Exton never pointed the gun at him.
Yet Judge Cook’s sentence included nine years for first-degree attempted murder, five years for the second-degree felonious assault charge relating to Ms. Valone’s mother Jeanne Valone, and six years for the firearm specifications attached to those two counts.
However, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections could extend Exton’s incarceration by up to 4 and a half years if he violates prison rules.
The trial was itself punctuated by several confrontations between Exton and the court.
‘This defendant is dangerous, psychotic, narcissistic, and a criminal,’ Loisel said, who called for a maximum 25 year sentence, remarking that the only thing preventing a mass shooting was Exton’s failure to release his gun’s safety when he first aimed it.
Exton retorted ‘Liar’ several times as Mr. Loisel said the defendant had ‘no regard for the law, no regard for this court, only for himself.’
Exton said that his first marriage ended after just ‘a couple years.’ He then married Kayda in March 2017. When previously asked on September 4 how he would describe his marriage to Kayda, Exton had said: ‘It had its ups and downs. It was tumultuous, but also good
Along with his request for time to obtain new counsel, Exton said he wanted to talk with the case’s detective about filing attempted murder and felonious assault charges against Tracy Cole, Jr, the Sabira waiter who tackled him next to the Valones’ table after he pointed his gun at his ex-wife. Although Judge Cook said he would not hold up the hearing for that purpose.
During closing arguments, Judge Gary Cook ordered him removed from the courtroom after he repeatedly interrupted the proceedings. Exton was then forced to watch the remainder of the arguments remotely from a holding area.
Lucas County Prosecutor Julia Bates issued a statement praising the teamwork of Mike Loisel, chief of special prosecutions, and assistant prosecutors Rose Mock and Mark Petiya in their handling of the case.
‘We hope today’s sentence provides some sense of closure for the victims seated at the table and the Sabira employees and patrons whose lives were put at risk that evening,’ Mrs. Bates’ statement said. ‘Even Judge Gary Cook acknowledged the trauma the restaurant employees experienced and the bravery they showed.’
Exton cited ineffective counsel and numerous sections of the US Constitution as appellate claims he plans to pursue.
