On July 12, 2024, 42-year-old Matthew Restelli was lured from California to American Fork, Utah, and brutally killed.
Shockingly, investigations revealed that this crime was a carefully planned murder involving his wife, her brother, and her mother.
Matthew and his wife, Kathryn Restelli, lived in California, but their marriage fell apart overtime.
Kathryn then decided to move with their children to Utah, where her mother, Tracy Grist, lived.
According to court records, Kathryn was worried about a divorce and feared that she would lose custody of her children if Matthew insisted they return to California.
Police believe that this fear made Kathryn to come up with a deadly plan.
“Under California law, from what we understand, if Matthew wanted the children back in California, they would need to be returned, and Kathryn didn’t want that to happen.” said American Fork Police Lt. Stuart Fore.
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| Matthew Restelli |
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| Matthew Restelli |
On the night of July 12, 2024, Kathryn convinced Matthew to drive down to Utah, making him believe they would sit down and work on their marriage.
She gave him her mother’s address, the gate code, and even told him the door would be unlocked so he could walk right in.
Matthew made the trip thinking it was a step toward reconciliation—but instead of a reunion, he walked straight into a trap.
As Matthew entered the home, Kathryn’s brother, Kevin Ellis, opened fire, as reported by
Fox13now News.Tragically, Matthew was shot multiple times and did not survive.
When police arrived at the home, they found Kathryn, her brother Kevin Ellis, her mother Tracy Grist, and the couple’s two children inside.
When officers asked what had happened, the family claimed that Matthew had shown up uninvited, and Ellis said he shot him to protect everyone in the house.
Ellis insisted it was self-defense, alleging that Matthew had a knife and was about to attack him.
However, as investigators dug deeper, they quickly found evidence that cast serious doubt on the family’s story.
First, crime scene experts noticed something unusual about the knife Ellis claimed Matthew was holding. It looked like it had been placed in Matthew’s hand after the shooting. Police later confirmed that it did not appear Matthew was holding the knife when he was shot.
Then detectives uncovered an even more chilling detail during the murder investigation.
Kathryn, her mother Tracy, and Kevin had used an AirTag to secretly track Matthew’s journey from California to Utah.
Police seized the phones and iPad of the suspects, confirming they all shared access to the tracking device, suggesting clear premeditation.
A text message Kathryn sent to Kevin at 10:01 p.m. on July 12 read, “… keep an eye on ...” Just ten minutes later, the first 911 call reporting gunshots came in.
Additionally, a friend of Kathryn even told police that weeks earlier, she had talked about her frustrations, and even said, “I just might murder Matt today though.”
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| Kathryn Restelli |
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| Kathryn Restelli |
After an extensive investigation, Kevin Ellis was arrested on multiple charges including murder and possession of a dangerous weapon.
A few days later, both Kathryn and her mother Tracy were also taken into custody. They were charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder, obstruction, and domestic violence in the presence of a child.
On September 9, 2025, Kathryn faced justice. She pleaded guilty to murder and conspiracy to commit murder as part of a plea deal.
Judge Roger Griffin sentenced her to 1–15 years in prison for murder and conspiracy, and an additional 5 years to life for felony discharge of a weapon.
According to Fox13now News, the judge made it clear that her actions had lasting consequences for her children, saying: “Your children are victims of your actions. They’ll be lifetime victims of your actions, and they deserve to grow up without you in their lives.”
Meanwhile, Ellis and Grist, are still awaiting trial. For updates on this case and other high-profile cases, sign up for our free
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