A Utah woman has admitted to plotting her estranged husband’s murder with help from her mother and brother—then trying to stage the crime scene to make it look like self-defense.
Kathryn Restelli, 37, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and felony discharge of a firearm in connection with the July 2024 killing of 38-year-old Matthew Restelli. She had originally been facing a first-degree murder charge.
According to prosecutors, Kathryn left her husband in California without warning and moved with their children to her mother’s home in American Fork, Utah, just south of Salt Lake City. It was there that she, her mother Tracy Grist, and her brother Kevin Ellis began planning Matthew’s murder.
To carry out the plot, Kathryn pretended she wanted to reconcile with Matthew and convinced him to drive from California to Utah. All the while, his truck was being tracked with a hidden Apple AirTag.
Prosecutors say Grist made eerie preparations before Matthew arrived—removing the screen door to give him easy access, covering the couch in a blanket to avoid bloodstains, and clearing the kids’ toys out of sight.
When Matthew arrived on July 12, 2024, Kathryn stayed upstairs while her mother and brother waited for him just inside. As he entered, Ellis allegedly opened fire, shooting Matthew multiple times. They then reportedly planted a knife in his hand to make it look like he had broken in and was threatening them.
But the cover-up unraveled fast.
“Matthew was left-handed, but the knife was found in his right hand—and he had a gunshot wound through that same wrist,” testified Officer Joseph Nordin of the American Fork Police Department.
Search history from Kathryn and her mother also raised red flags. In the days leading up to the murder, Kathryn had been looking up past homicide cases and even researching “what attracts mountain lions to humans.” Grist, meanwhile, was digging into recent shootings and Utah’s gun laws.
Kathryn broke down in tears while entering her guilty plea. She’s scheduled to be sentenced on September 9.
Her mother and brother are still awaiting trial and face a long list of charges, including first-degree murder, criminal conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and domestic violence in the presence of a child. Ellis also faces weapons and drug charges. Their trial is set for January.
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Author: thedailycrime1
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