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Murder of Matthew Restelli

Kathryn Restelli was living in Temecula, California, with her husband, Matthew, and their children. She left him in June 2024 and took the kids, moving in with her mother, Tracy Grist, in American Fork, Utah.

Rather than getting a divorce, Kathryn allegedly plotted with her mother and her brother, Kevin Ellis, to lure Matthew to Utah so they could kill him.

She convinced Matthew she wanted to reconcile, but claimed she couldn’t rent a car and drive back to Temecula by herself.

She persuaded him to come and get her. She ensured he drove a specific vehicle that she knew had an Apple AirTag device installed in it.

When he arrived in American Fork on July 12th, 2024, Kathryn told him to walk in through the open front door of her mother’s residence.

He followed her instructions, and as soon as he stepped inside, Ellis allegedly shot him seven times.

Kathryn was upstairs with their two kids during the deranged plot.

Once Matthew was dead, a knife was placed in his right hand, and Grist called 911.

Investigation and Arrests

When authorities arrived, Ellis claimed that Matthew barged in unannounced with a knife, so he shot him in self-defense. Despite his claims, Matthew was arrested at the scene.

The plot started falling apart right away as authorities felt the knife had been placed in Matthew’s hand.

They later learned Matthew was left-handed, which further supported their theory.

An autopsy revealed he was shot in the right wrist. Investigators say that he wouldn’t have been able to grip that knife after his wrist was hit.

Ellis was charged with murder, but police weren’t done investigating. They gained access to Kathryn’s and her mother’s messages, as well as their internet search histories.

Investigators observed that Kathryn was communicating with Matthew throughout his trip. They also noted that they were monitoring the progress of his drive.

Detectives also learned that Kathryn told a friend that Ellis retrieved the gun from a safe in the garage after Matthew arrived, a story that didn’t match the timeline of events.

Another friend came forward and told police that when she offered Kathryn her condolences about the death of her husband, Kathryn replied, “It’s OK, I’m happy.”

Another friend revealed to detectives that four days after the murder, Kathryn was getting ready for a date and told her “she never had any intention of returning back to California or getting back together with Matt.”

The evidence against Kathryn and her mother was overwhelming, and both were arrested on October 29th, 2024.

Both were charged with conspiracy to commit murder, obstruction of justice, and two counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child.

Prosecutors later hit both ladies with murder charges.

Legal Proceedings

Kathryn pled guilty to second-degree murder, second-degree conspiracy to commit murder, and discharging a firearm on July 16th, 2025.

She returned to court for sentencing on September 9th.

Kathryn was allowed to speak before the sentence was handed down, and she expressed regret for her actions.

The judge called her out for what she did to her kids and ordered her not to have contact with them.

Then he sentenced her to 1 to 15 years for second-degree murder, 1 to 15 years for conspiracy to commit murder, and 5 years to life for felony discharge of a firearm.

The murder and firearm convictions are set to run consecutively, while the conspiracy sentence is concurrent. She could get out after serving just 6 years, but that is unlikely to happen.

Aftermath

Kathryn testified against her brother and mother. According to ABC4, Ellis was convicted of murder, obstruction of justice, two counts of domestic violence in the presence of children, possession of a firearm as a restricted person, and possession of a controlled substance at his January 2026 trial.

He was sentenced to 15 to life for murder, with consecutive sentences of one to 15 years for obstruction of justice and two zero to 5-year sentences for the domestic violence charge. He also received a concurrent 0 to 5 years for the possession of a firearm.

Grist was convicted of murder, criminal conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and two counts of domestic violence in the presence of children at her April 2026 trial. In June 2026, ABC4 reported that she was sentenced to 15 to life for murder, plus a consecutive one to 15 years for obstruction of justice, and two zero to 5-year sentences for the domestic violence charge.