Two arrested in American Fork murder case

AMERICAN FORK, Utah — American Fork Police Department said two people were arrested for conspiracy to commit murder on Tuesday. 

 

The arrests follow the July death of 42-year-old Matthew Restelli. Both of the people arrested were family members of the victim. 

AFPD said that Restelli’s wife, 36-year-old Kathryn Restelli, and her mother, 59-year-old Tracy Grist, were arrested. 

“The arrests came after an intensive, time-consuming, and meticulous investigation that led detectives to believe that Kathryn Restelli and Tracy Grist worked in concert with Kevin Ellis to lure Matthew Restelli from California so that Ellis could kill [him],” wrote AFPD in the press release. 

American Fork murder 

Previously, Restelli’s brother-in-law, Kevin Ellis, was arrested. An investigation found that Ellis was the one who shot Restelli. 

Ellis was booked into jail on charges for murder, possessing a dangerous weapon, and possessing a controlled substance, per AFPD. 

On the night of the American Fork murder, the person who reported the gunshots said they heard gunshots inside the house. They tried to contact the people who lived there, but when they did not answer, the witness called 911. 

When police arrived, they found Restelli with multiple gunshots. Kathryn Restelli, Kevin Ellis, and Tracy Grist were all inside the home, along with two children who were not harmed. 

AFPD said the investigation revealed that the victim and his wife lived in California. However, they had been experiencing relationship problems, prompting her to come to Utah and stay with her mother, Tracy. 

After searching cell phones that were seized during the investigation, police believe that the suspects had been tracking Restelli’s location with an AirTag. 

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