Ohio Lawyer Who Tried to Shoot Ex-Wife in Restaurant Allegedly Faked Being Cop to Buy Gun

The Ohio lawyer convicted of attempted murder after he was caught on camera trying to shoot his ex-wife in a restaurant allegedly lied and said he was a police officer in order to secure a firearm ... TMZ has learned.

We obtained court docs filed by prosecutors in the case against Matthew Exton, which lay out a history of criminal issues.

In the docs, prosecutors point to a police report from 2024 when Matthew allegedly represented himself as a law enforcement official to buy a new firearm.

They also say there are voicemail messages he left in April 2024, threatening to kill the victims in this matter, a postcard sent to the victim, texts from him threatening to kill the victims, and a Ring camera video where they say he loses his "composure."

Prosecutors said they also have an April 2024 police report about Matthew letting himself into the victims' home in the middle of the night ... plus testimony from the woman's son who claimed Matthew told him he could "kill anyone and get away with it."

What's more, prosecutors claim the evidence shows Matthew had a plan to deal with the alleged victims, and the current incident was not a mistake in any way.

As TMZ previously reported, Matthew was arrested and charged over the incident. In the video, it appears he tried to shoot his gun, but the safety was on. Bystanders were able to wrestle the gun out of Matthew's hands before cops arrived.