The Family Plot examines the July 12, 2024, killing of Matthew Restelli in American Fork, Utah, which prosecutors say was a premeditated ambush orchestrated by his wife, Kathryn, her mother, Tracey Grist, and brother, Kevin Ellis. Kathryn admitted she lured Matthew to the home under the pretext of reconciliation and testified that the family staged the scene and planted a knife to support a false self-defense story. Kathryn pleaded guilty in July 2025 and cooperated with prosecutors; Ellis and Grist were later convicted and received lengthy sentences.
‘The Family Plot’: How Prosecutors Say a Reconciliation Turned Into a Deadly Ambush
Matthew and Kathryn Restelli; Kevin Ellis in courtCredit: Kathryn Restelli/Facebook; Law&Crime/YouTube
When Matthew Restelli drove from California to American Fork, Utah, on July 12, 2024, he believed he was heading into a chance to repair a troubled marriage. Prosecutors say he instead walked into a premeditated ambush organized by his wife, Kathryn Restelli, and two members of her family.
The Night of the Shooting
According to court records and witness testimony highlighted in the Dateline episode "The Family Plot," Matthew arrived at the home of his mother-in-law, Tracey Grist, to collect Kathryn and the couple’s two children. Within minutes of entering the house, prosecutors say, Kathryn’s brother, Kevin Ellis, shot Matthew multiple times. Ellis initially told police he acted in self-defense after Matthew allegedly entered with a knife.
Matthew and Kathryn RestelliCredit: Kathryn Restelli/Facebook
Evidence That Undermined the Self-Defense Claim
Investigators quickly found inconsistencies in the self-defense account. Matthew — who was left-handed — was found with a knife in his right hand and had a gunshot wound to his right wrist. Prosecutors say other physical and testimonial evidence suggested the scene had been staged and that the knife was placed after the shooting to create the appearance of a threat.
Kathryn’s Testimony: Planning and Motive
In court, Kathryn admitted she helped plan the killing. She testified that after leaving the couple’s California home in June 2024 and moving to Utah with the children, she and her mother discussed ways for Kathryn to leave the marriage. What began as discussion, Kathryn said, evolved into a plot. She testified that Grist later recruited Ellis and that the three prepared the house for Matthew’s arrival — moving toys, covering furniture, removing a screen door and discussing a plan to place a knife in Matthew’s hand.
Kathryn Restelli in court; Kevin Ellis in courtCredit: Court TV/YouTube; Law&Crime/YouTube
Kathryn also acknowledged playing a central role in luring Matthew to the house: she told him she wanted to reconcile, that she and the children would return to California with him, and she used a tracking device on his truck while staying in contact during his drive. Kathryn testified she gave the children a melatonin gummy to keep them asleep and later said she had second thoughts before the shooting but did not stop it.
“I realize I should have, I should have done more to stop it,” Kathryn testified.
Plea Deal, Sentencing and Cooperation
About a year after the killing, Kathryn pleaded guilty in July 2025 to reduced counts of murder, conspiracy to commit murder and felony discharge of a firearm as part of a plea agreement. Prosecutors dismissed additional charges in exchange for her cooperation. In September 2025 she received consecutive and concurrent terms that require her to serve at least six years in prison.
Kathryn Restelli in courtCredit: Law&Crime/YouTube
As part of her plea, Kathryn cooperated with prosecutors and testified against both Ellis and Grist at trial. Her testimony was central to prosecutors’ case detailing premeditation and the alleged staging of the scene.
Trials and Subsequent Sentences
In January 2026, Ellis was convicted and in March 2026 a judge sentenced him to 15 years to life for murder, plus additional consecutive terms for obstruction and related offenses. Grist was tried in April 2026; a jury convicted her in June 2026 of murder, conspiracy and related charges. The judge called Grist the “mastermind” of the plan and imposed maximum consecutive sentences on all counts, including 15 years to life for murder, recommending she never be considered for parole.
Dateline Revisit
The Dateline episode “The Family Plot” (aired Sept. 25) revisits the case, showing how investigators and prosecutors unraveled what initially appeared to be a self-defense shooting and exposed, prosecutors say, a tightly coordinated family conspiracy driven in part by fears over divorce and child custody.
Sources: Court testimony and reporting from KSL, Court TV, People, Law & Crime, ABC4 and Fox13.
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