PROVO, Utah (Court TV) — Recorded phone calls and interviews with police show Tracey Grist’s changing story after her son-in-law was shot and killed in her home.
Tracey Grist appears with her attorney at a preliminary hearing on May 20, 2025. (Court TV)
Matthew Restelli was shot and killed on July 12, 2024, when he went to pick up his wife, Kathryn Restelli, at her mother’s house. Kathryn’s brother, Kevin Ellis, told police that he pulled the trigger in self-defense after Matthew threatened him with a knife. But detectives immediately took notice of some details they deemed suspicious, and charged Ellis, Grist and Kathryn with Matthew’s murder.
New details about the investigation into the shooting and the days after Matthew’s death were revealed on Tuesday as Grist appeared in court for her preliminary hearing.
Matthew’s mother, Diane Restelli, was the first witness to testify. She said that her son’s relationship with Kathryn had been “a little rocky” and described her daughter-in-law as having “some episodes of being angry.”
Diane didn’t learn her son had been killed until July 13, when Grist called and simply told her, “Matt is dead.” “I figured he was in a car accident,” Diane told Judge Roger Griffin. Through news reports, Diane learned that her son had been killed by Ellis, and confronted Grist in a phone call that she recorded and was played in court.
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On the phone, Grist repeatedly claimed that she was in shock and didn’t want to talk about the experience, but said that she had attempted to offer lifesaving treatment to Matthew after he was shot. Diane pushed Grist in the phone call, questioning why Ellis had access to a gun. In response, Grist described her son as “so gentle and so kind and so sweet… In my mind, my son was only being protective and loving.”
Diane: “I think the family has a lot of explaining to do. … This whole thing seems like a setup.”
Grist: “We would never ever plan to hurt someone.”
On cross-examination, Diane revealed that she had a falling out with Kathryn in the weeks before her son’s death. She said that while she usually took Matthew, Kathryn and their kids on an annual trip to Las Vegas, Diane informed them that she would not do so in 2024 due to Kathryn’s behavior. Diane said something was “not right,” and Kathryn refused to speak with her.
American Fork Detective Joseph Nordin, who also testified at Ellis’ preliminary hearing, said that several “suspicious” things at the scene led officers to believe this was more than a simple self-defense case. Among the irregularities was the fact that Matthew, who was left-handed, was found face down holding a knife in his right hand.
Two recorded interviews Grist did with police were entered into evidence at the hearing. In them, she told officers that they had been expecting Matthew to come to the house, but maintained she was startled to find him inside. Grist said Matthew was “acting different” and “agitated,” but said hello to her before leaving to speak to Kathryn. Moments later, she said she heard gunshots.
