Football season is around the corner, and a heroic waiter delivered a life-saving tackle worthy of an NFL tryout.
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A tense moment when an infuriated Ohio lawyer stormed into a restaurant and tried to shoot his ex-wife at point-blank range was captured on surveillance.
When Matthew Exton, 43, pulled the trigger, the gun jammed because he still had the safety on. Exton attempted to discharge the weapon again despite pleas from nearby diners, but was met with an act of heroism fresh out of the oven.
As Exton struggled with the weapon, waiter Tracy Cole Jr. blitzed the lawyer and slammed him to the ground.
It's unclear whether his NFL linebacker impression earned him a larger tip, but at the very least, it helped save the woman's life.
Lawyer Attempts to Murder Ex-Wife During Restaurant Opening
According to The Toledo Blade, the incident occurred on April 11, 2025, at the then-new Sabira restaurant.
On Friday, Sept. 4, Exton was found guilty of attempted murder.
The jury in Lucas County Common Pleas Court also found Exton guilty of two of three felonious assault charges.
Exton was reportedly drinking at a nearby bar when he spotted his wife at the Sabira restaurant. The former defense attorney offered his ex-wife, Kayda Valone, a drink and spat at her before leaving the restaurant.
Moments later, he returned with a firearm.
"Nothing in their training could have prepared the staff for what walked through that door," Lucas County Prosecutor Julia Bates told WTOL.
"The defendant did not come with the intention of having a meal. He came with anger in him. And with the intention to commit a public execution of his ex-wife at the restaurant that day."
During the trial, Exton was removed from the courtroom, by the judge's request, for disruptive behavior. The former lawyer allegedly repeatedly disrupted the prosecutor's remarks.
Exton faces up to 25 years in prison for the convictions when Judge Cook sentences him Sept. 21. That includes 11 years for attempted murder and eight years for the felonious assault count relating to Ms. Valone's mother, Jeanne Valone. Plus, a combined maximum of six years for attached firearms specifications.
