How a Utah Woman Lured Husband to His Death — and Saw Plot Undone by One Critical Mistake

NEED TO KNOW

• Kathryn Restelli pleaded guilty to murder and conspiracy to commit murder in connection with her estranged husband Matthew Restelli’s July 2024 death

• Kathryn Restelli lured her husband to her mother’s home, where her brother ambushed Matthew Restelli and shot him

• Kathryn Restelli’s brother Kevin Ellis and mother Tracey Marie Grist are set to face their own jury trials in January 2026

A Utah woman admitted in court this week that she conspired with her family to try and kill her husband after luring him to her mother’s house last July.

Kathryn Restelli pleaded guilty to two second-degree felonies for murder and conspiracy to commit murder, as well as a first-degree felony for discharging a firearm on Wednesday, July 16, according to KSL, ABC 4, and Fox 13.

According to KSL, citing testimony from her trial, the 37-year-old woman lured her estranged husband Matthew Restelli to her mother’s house in American Fork, Utah, by convincing him that she wanted to fix their relationship. ABC 4 reported that Matthew had been living separately from his wife for several months before the murder.

Over the phone, Restelli convinced her husband to drive to her mother’s house and told him to walk in the front door, which she said was open, according to KSL.

When Matthew entered, Restelli’s brother Kevin Ellis allegedly ambushed his brother-in-law and fatally shot him multiple times, according to the outlet, which cites authorities. KSL reported that testimony in Restelli’s trial alleged that she, her brother, and their mother Tracey Marie Grist had planned to frame the murder as self-defense by lying to police that Matthew had entered the home without warning or permission.

Grist allegedly called 911 minutes after the shooting, and when police arrived, they found a knife placed in Matthew’s hand in a way that raised suspicion, according to ABC 4.

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KSL reported that Restelli was charged with murder under a Utah law that allows someone to be criminally prosecuted if they act in a clear mental state in an effort to commit or aid in a murder. According to the outlet, Restelli’s guilty plea this week could possibly lower the charges against her brother and mother.

Ellis and Grist’s own jury trials are set to begin next January, according to ABC 4. Both are charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, obstruction of justice, and two counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child,

Restelli is set to be sentenced on Sept. 9, according to KSL. She faces between six years to life in prison.

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