American Fork man claims self defense at preliminary hearing

AMERICAN FORK, Utah — A man accused of plotting to kill his brother-in-law and gunning him down was in court on Wednesday to see whether he will stand trial for murder.

Kevin Stanley Ellis claimed self-defense after police said he shot Matthew Restelli back in July, but police said otherwise.

Related: West Valley killings likely murder-suicide, police say

Ellis is the brother of Kathryn (Kate) Restelli, the wife of the victim.

Utah County Prosecutor Adam Pomeroy said during the hearing that they believe Ellis plotted with his mother Tracy Grist and his sister Kate to kill Matthew, whom Kate was having marital problems with.

“The evidence will show that after Kate came to Utah, Kate and her family learned how hard it would be for her to separate from Matthew in a divorce and get everything she wanted,” said Pomeroy.

Ellis’ other sister, Rachel Jorgensen, testified at the hearing about the Restellis’ marital problems.

“I felt … they would have short fuses with each other. I felt like they could kind of get under each other’s skin,” said Jorgensen. 

When asked if she had seen any previous violence between the two, Jorgensen said she had not.

Related: Prosecutors charge suspect with killing UnitedHealthcare CEO as an act of terrorism

Matthew was just arriving to the house to pick up his wife and kids and bring them back to California.

Prosecutors said Ellis, Grist, and Kate tracked Matthew with an AirTag and that Ellis shot him as soon as he walked through the door.

Ellis claimed Matthew was wielding a knife and that he shot in self-defense. However, investigators believe the knife was planted in his non-dominant hand after the fact.

Ellis faces numerous charges, including murder, as does Kate and their mother.

Related: School bus attendant charged with downloading child sex abuse material