A Utah woman, Kathryn Restelli, has pleaded guilty to charges related to the murder of her estranged husband, Matthew Restelli, who was killed in July 2024.
Restelli conspired with her family to kill her husband and attempted to make it appear as though his death was a case of self-defense. However, their plan fell apart due to a critical mistake — they planted the knife in the wrong hand.
The Murder Plot
Kathryn Restelli, 37, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and first-degree felony discharge of a firearm in connection with the shooting death of her husband. She was initially facing a first-degree murder charge.
According to prosecutors, Kathryn had left her husband in California a couple of weeks before the murder, taking their children with her to American Fork, Utah, where she moved in with her mother, Tracy Grist. During this time, Restelli allegedly conspired with her mother and her brother, Kevin Ellis, to have her husband killed.
The Plan to Frame Self-Defense
Restelli created a “ruse of possible reconciliation” with her husband, attempting to lure him to Utah with the false promise of them getting back together. She spoke with him several times as he made the drive from California to Utah, keeping him calm.
Prosecutors say she told him to come through the unlocked front door once he arrived at the house, so her mother or brother could claim he had entered the home uninvited.
Grist allegedly prepared the home by removing a fabric screen door, covering the couch with a blanket, and moving children’s toys to another room to avoid blood stains. The plan was for Ellis to shoot Matthew as he entered the home, and they would then place a knife on him to make it appear as though he had attacked in self-defense.
The Crucial Mistake
However, their plan fell apart when they made a key mistake: they planted the knife in Matthew Restelli’s right hand, even though he was left-handed. Additionally, an autopsy revealed that Matthew had a bullet wound in his right wrist — the same hand he was supposedly holding the knife with.
This detail led investigators to question the validity of the self-defense claim.
Investigation and Search History
Prosecutors also noted that Kathryn Restelli’s internet searches in the days leading up to her husband’s death were suspicious. She was reportedly researching other homicide cases and even looked up mountain lion behavior and how to attract them to humans, possibly attempting to cover her tracks by looking into alternative causes of death.
At the same time, her mother, Grist, was reportedly searching for recent shooting cases and Utah’s gun laws, further raising suspicions.
Plea and Sentencing
Kathryn Restelli cried as she entered her guilty plea. She is set to be sentenced on September 9, 2025. Meanwhile, Kevin Ellis and Tracy Grist face first-degree murder, criminal conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and other charges.
Ellis also faces additional charges for the use of a firearm as a restricted person and possession of a controlled substance. Both Ellis and Grist are scheduled to stand trial in January 2026.
