Matthew Exton, the lawyer convicted by a jury of trying to kill his ex-wife in a Warehouse District restaurant last year, received a 20-year prison sentence Monday from a Lucas County Common Pleas Court judge.
Judge Gary Cook’s sentence followed contentious hearing during which Exton, 43, of Traverse City, Mich., declared he had fired his lawyer and sought continuation of the proceeding so he could obtain new counsel.
The judge denied that and several other motions while saying Exton would have recourse to the 6th District Court of Appeals to challenge the jury’s Sept. 4 verdict as well as any other issues he considers appealable. Exton has 30 days to file any such appeals, and he requested appointment of appellate counsel toward the hearing’s conclusion…