Dateline’s Sept. 25 episode revisits Matthew Restelli’s 2024 killing in Utah. His wife, Kathryn, admitted helping lure him to a home where her brother Kevin Ellis shot him; she later testified against Ellis and her mother, Tracey Grist, both convicted in the case.
Matthew drove from California to Utah on July 12, 2024, believing Kathryn wanted to reconcile and return with their two children. Ellis shot him seven times, prosecutors said. The family initially claimed self-defense; prosecutors later alleged Matthew had been lured there unarmed and a knife placed in his hand. He was found with a knife in his right hand despite being left-handed, and had a gunshot wound to that wrist.
Kathryn pleaded guilty in July 2025 to murder, conspiracy to commit murder and felony discharge of a firearm. Her sentences require her to serve at least six years. Ellis received 15 years to life for murder in March 2026. Grist, who denied taking part in the plot, was convicted in June 2026 and given maximum consecutive sentences.
