- Kevin Ellis was found guilty of murdering his brother-in-law in American Fork, and the jury found he did not believe he was justified at the time.
- Ellis was acquitted of conspiring with his mother and sister to commit the murder, as the jury agreed with his attorneys that he was unaware of the plans.
- He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 23. His mother faces a murder trial in April.
PROVO — A jury late Wednesday found Kevin Ellis guilty of murder in the shooting death of his brother-in-law and did not believe he was defending himself.
But jurors also determined he was not guilty of conspiring with his mother and his sister to kill the man.
Ellis shot and killed Matthew Restelli on July 12, 2024 just after he arrived at the American Fork home of Ellis' mother with intentions to bring his wife and children back to their home in California.
The jury began deliberations Wednesday afternoon and continued deliberating until almost 7:40 p.m., when they returned with the verdict finding Ellis was not defending himself when he shot and killed Matthew Restelli, as he had argued. They found Ellis was also not acting in imperfect self-defense, meaning he did not believe that he was justified when he killed his brother-in-law.
Ellis, 35, was found guilty of murder, a first-degree felony; obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony; two counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, and possession of a gun as a restricted person, third-degree felonies; and drug possession, a class A misdemeanor. He was found not guilty of conspiracy to commit murder, a second-degree felony.
Prosecutors say Ellis, his mother Tracy Grist and his sister Kathryn Restelli lured Matthew Restelli to Grist's home and invited him to let himself in under the guise of potential reconciliation with his wife, Kathryn Restelli. They said his wife placed a tracker in his truck and the family watched and discussed when he would be arriving in Utah.
Deputy Utah County attorney Adam Pomeroy said Ellis and Grist delayed calling 911 after Ellis shot him and placed a knife in his nondominant hand backward in order to falsely claim self-defense.
Ellis' attorneys agreed that there was a conspiracy to murder Matthew Restelli, but argued that Ellis was "duped" and convinced to be their "champion" and did not know what was going on.
The trial began on Jan. 20 with opening statements and testimony from Kathryn Restelli, who has already pleaded guilty to her husband's murder and conspiracy to commit his murder, both second-degree felonies, along with felony discharge of a firearm, a first-degree felony. She was sentenced to at least seven years and up to life in prison.
She said she pleaded guilty to give her children and husband justice.
Restelli admitted to the jury that she invited her husband inside her mother's home and made statements to help him feel comfortable coming in because it was part of "the plan to murder him."
"We were getting ready for his arrival by putting toys away, putting blankets over the couch to avoid blood spatter," she said about that night.
She talked about hearing the gunshots and her mom and brother talk about placing a knife in his hands, a knife she had seen earlier. Grist is also charged with conspiring to murder Matthew Restelli. She faces a jury trial in April.
Kathryn Restelli said she did not speak directly with Ellis about the plan and that her mom took Ellis to lunch that day, but she did not know what they discussed.
Ellis is scheduled to be sentenced on March 23.
