American Fork woman accused of conspiring to murder husband pleads guilty

AMERICAN FORK, Utah (ABC4) — The woman who was charged with murder and criminal conspiracy after her husband’s death has pleaded guilty. Investigators from the American Fork Police Department believed that she worked with family members to “lure” him to his death.

His wife, Kathryn Restelli, cried as she pleaded guilty to murder, a second-degree felony; conspiracy to commit murder, a second-degree felony; and felony discharge of a firearm, a first-degree felony. The remaining charges were dismissed.

Restelli was initially charged with murder, a first-degree felony; criminal conspiracy, a second-degree felony; obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony; and two counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, a third-degree felony.

The sentencing was scheduled for September 9, 2025. The court expects the victim’s family and friends to file letters and attend the sentencing to deliver impact statements.

Background

Tracey Marie Grist, Kathryn Restelli, and Kevin Stanley Ellis are accused of conspiring to commit the July 2024 shooting death of Kathryn Restelli’s husband. Kevin Ellis — Grist’s son and Kathryn Restelli’s brother — was arrested in July 2024 for shooting his brother-in-law. Police said a knife was found in Matthew Restelli’s hand at the scene.

Matthew Restelli, a California resident, had been living separately from his wife for several months, according to witness testimony.

Matthew Restelli’s mother, Diane Restelli, testified that Kathryn Restelli said she needed a “breather” and took the family’s truck, taking the children and leaving Temecula, CA, without telling her husband. He was very concerned until Kathryn Restelli told him she was spending several weeks living with Grist, her mother, in American Fork.

According to Diane Restelli, on July 12, 2024 — the day her son was killed — she was told that Kathryn Restelli was going to rent a vehicle to return to her and Matthew Restelli’s residence in California after three weeks in Utah. She later found out her son was driving to pick up his family in Utah because Kathryn Restelli could not rent a vehicle.

When Matthew Restelli arrived at the home in the American Fork gated community, he was shot multiple times by Ellis. Grist contacted 911, and police and emergency medical services responded to the scene.

Upon arrival, officers discovered some suspicious factors. Matthew Restelli was pronounced dead at the scene, and a knife was in his hand; however, officers observed that he was gripping it the wrong way, alongside other suspicious circumstances.

“Matthew Restelli is left-handed, and he’s holding [the knife] in his right hand. Along with that, during the autopsy, a bullet wound was found in his right wrist… the same hand he’s holding the knife with,” Joseph Nordin, an American Fork officer who responded to the scene, testified.

Nordin testified that Matthew Restelli’s body was found near the stairs in the entryway. He said that eight shell casings were found at the scene, and he had been shot six — possibly seven — times. Ellis claimed this was in self-defense.

Evidence recovered from Kathryn Restelli’s devices allegedly showed that she was researching spousal homicide cases and “what attracts mountain lions to humans” before her husband’s death. Around the same time, Grist was researching gun laws and recent shootings in Utah.

Nordin testified that Grist and Kathryn Restilli were charged with criminal conspiracy because they allegedly coordinated a plan to bring Matthew Restelli to the home on July 12 — including pretending Kathryn Restelli had an injured ankle and couldn’t rent a vehicle, alongside the fact that she had not packed anything to return home to California.

Kevin Ellis has a jury trial scheduled to start on January 20, 2026. Grist has pleaded not guilty to all counts and has a jury trial scheduled to start on January 12, 2026.