On July 12, 2024, Matthew Clark Restelli, a 42-year-old White/Caucasian male, was fatally shot in American Fork, Utah, in what authorities have described as a premeditated plot. Restelli had traveled from his home in California to Utah with the belief that he was going to reconcile with his estranged wife, Kathryn Restelli.
Kathryn, along with her mother, Tracy Grist, and her brother, Kevin Ellis, allegedly conspired to lure Matthew to Grist's home in American Fork.
According to investigators, the trio tracked Matthew's journey from California using an AirTag that had been placed in his truck. Upon his arrival at the residence late in the evening, he was shot multiple times shortly after entering the house. His children were reportedly in an upstairs room at the time of the shooting.
Immediately following the shooting, Kevin Ellis claimed he had acted in self-defense, asserting that Matthew had entered the home uninvited and was armed with a knife. However, the police investigation raised several suspicions. Officers who responded to the 911 call noted that the knife was found in Matthew's right hand, although he was left-handed. Furthermore, the positioning of the knife in his hand was deemed unnatural by investigators, leading them to believe it had been planted after his death to support the self-defense claim. An autopsy later revealed that Matthew had also sustained a gunshot wound to the same wrist that was holding the knife.
The investigation uncovered a significant amount of evidence suggesting a conspiracy. This included text messages between Kathryn and her family members in the days and moments leading up to the shooting. Police also discovered a two-minute delay between the time of the shooting and when the 911 call was made.
As a result of the investigation, Kevin Ellis was arrested and charged with murder and other offenses. Subsequently, Kathryn Restelli and Tracy Grist were also arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder, obstruction of justice, and domestic violence in the presence of a child. Kathryn Restelli later pleaded guilty to murder and conspiracy to commit murder as part of a plea agreement. Her mother and brother are awaiting trial.
