Prosecutors Say Matthew Restelli Was Lured Into a Deadly Setup

The first day of Tracey Grist’s trial centered on two sharply different stories about how Matthew Restelli ended up dead inside Grist’s home. Prosecutors told jurors the shooting was the end result of a planned family plot, while the defense argued Kevin Ellis alone killed Restelli and that the state is stretching a chaotic family situation into a broader conspiracy case.

Prosecutors say Matthew Restelli was lured to Utah

Prosecutor James Watabe told jurors that Matthew Restelli traveled to Utah believing he was coming to pick up his wife, Kathryn, and their two children. Instead, according to the state, he was being drawn into a trap.

Jurors heard that when Restelli arrived at Tracey Grist’s home, the lights were off. Prosecutors say he went inside and was shot seven times by Kevin Ellis almost immediately after entering. The state’s theory is that this was not a confrontation that suddenly turned deadly, but a plan carried out with help from multiple family members.

According to the prosecution, Kathryn Restelli conspired with Kevin Ellis and Tracey Grist to kill Matthew. Watabe also told jurors that a knife was later placed in Matthew Restelli’s non-dominant hand in an effort to support a self-defense claim.

The defense says Kevin Ellis acted alone

Defense attorney Dana Facemeyer pushed back on the broader conspiracy theory in opening statements, telling jurors that Kevin Ellis was convicted and is solely responsible for Matthew Restelli’s death.

The defense framed the case as a messy family situation that got out of hand, rather than a coordinated murder plot directed by Tracey Grist. That argument sets up one of the central issues for the jury: whether prosecutors can prove Grist was part of the planning, or whether Ellis alone bears criminal responsibility for the killing.

Kathryn Restelli ties her mother to the plan

The day’s most direct testimony came from Kathryn Restelli, the victim’s wife and Tracey Grist’s daughter. She admitted she conspired with her mother to kill her husband.

Kathryn also read text messages between herself, her mother, and her sister. Those messages focused on how much she hated her husband and how badly she wanted a divorce. She testified that she did not believe she would be able to get custody of the children and continue living in Utah if she went through a divorce.

She also told jurors that at one point she said she did not want to go through with the plan, but that her mother insisted.

Why Day 1 matters

Day 1 gave jurors the basic framework of the case and immediately put the family’s internal communications at the center of the trial. Prosecutors used opening statements and Kathryn Restelli’s testimony to argue that the killing was planned in advance and that the family tried to build a false self-defense narrative afterward.

The defense, meanwhile, made clear it will try to isolate Kevin Ellis as the only person legally responsible for Matthew Restelli’s death. That means the case is likely to turn not just on what happened inside the home, but on who planned it, who pushed it forward, and whether jurors believe Kathryn’s account of her mother’s role.

What comes next

With Kathryn Restelli already taking the stand on the first day, the jury has now heard testimony directly tying Tracey Grist to the alleged plot. The next phase of the trial will likely focus on how prosecutors back up that account with messages, physical evidence, and the timeline surrounding Matthew Restelli’s arrival at the home.

If the state can connect those pieces, it strengthens its argument that the shooting was staged from the start. If the defense can cast doubt on Kathryn’s credibility or limit the case to Kevin Ellis’s actions, that could narrow the jury’s view of Grist’s role.