Posted at 2:56 PM, March 31, 2026
PROVO, Utah (Court TV) — A Utah man was sentenced to consecutive prison terms after a jury found him guilty in the death of his brother-in-law.
Kevin Ellis sits in court during his sentencing hearing on March 31, 2026. (Court TV)
Kevin Ellis was convicted of murder, obstruction of justice and domestic violence in the presence of children after he shot and killed Matthew Restelli on July 12, 2024. Ellis pleaded not guilty at trial and had argued that he shot the victim seven times in self-defense.
Matthew Restelli’s wife, Kathryn Restelli, is Ellis’ sister, and testified at his trial that she lured her husband to her mother’s Utah home so that her brother could kill him. The siblings’ mother, Tracey Grist, is scheduled to stand trial for her alleged role in the killing next month.
After his conviction, Ellis spoke about the case in a jailhouse phone call with one of his sisters. “I still bear so much of the blame for all of this,” Ellis said in the call, played during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday. “I should have said no.”
Sister: “The same person who planned this is the same person who baked cookies.”
Ellis: “Mmmhmm. And that’s what’s wild. She’s the one who made me my chocolate chip cookies without chocolate chips.”
Prosecutor Adam Pomeroy said that while investigators consider Grist to be the ringleader of the plot, the phone call shows that Ellis bears responsibility for the victim’s death. “I literally warned her,” Ellis said in the call. “I said, ‘This will change so many lives, you won’t even know how many lives it’s going to change.’”
Matthew Restelli’s younger brother, Jonathan Restelli, delivered a victim impact statement at Tuesday’s hearing highlighting the youngest victims in the case: Matthew and Kathryn Restelli’s young children, who learned about their uncle’s involvement in the case from friends. “That’s right, Kevin, they know,” Jonathan Restelli told the defendant. “They found out at school. Other kids talking about it, saying things no child should ever have to hear about their father. About how you shot him. They came home confused, trying to make sense of it.”
The victim’s mother addressed Ellis directly in court. “Your common sense should have kicked in,” Diane Restelli said. “Your family gave you bad advice and direction. Instead of thinking for yourself and recognizing the evil family traits, you did the unthinkable: shooting my son, Matt, multiple times as he was running for his life. You unloaded 7 shots into him and savagely killed him as if you were hunting a wild animal.”
Judge Roger Griffin granted prosecutors’ request to sentence Ellis on each count consecutively. “You clearly could have backed out and said ‘no’ and stopped, and it wouldn’t have occurred,” Griffin said. “And you didn’t have the courage or the desire to say no.”
For the murder charge, Griffin sentenced Ellis to 15 years to life in prison. That will be served consecutively to sentences of 1-15 years for obstruction of justice and two sentences of 0-5 years for domestic violence in the presence of a child. The Utah Parole Board will make the ultimate decision on when, and if, Ellis is released.
