Woman convicted in Provo family murder
- A jury convicted 60-year-old Tracey Grist of murder and related charges in a Provo Fourth District Court. - She was found guilty of murder, conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and domestic violence; sentencing scheduled for June. - Prosecutors say she masterminded the shooting at an American Fork home, while defense blamed her son (eastidahonews.com).
A Utah County jury convicted Tracey Grist on Tuesday of murdering her son-in-law after prosecutors said she helped lure him to her American Fork home. (ksl.com) Grist, 60, was found guilty in Provo’s Fourth District Court of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, obstruction of justice, and two counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child. Jurors deliberated for just over five hours before returning the verdict. (eastidahonews.com) The victim, Matthew Restelli, 42, was shot inside Grist’s home on July 12, 2024, after traveling from California to pick up his wife, Kathryn Restelli, and their three children, according to prosecutors. Investigators said the scene was staged to support a self-defense claim. (kutv.com) At trial, prosecutors said Grist was the “hub” of the plot and used the eight minutes before calling 911 to make sure Matthew Restelli was dead and place a knife near him. They argued her son Kevin Ellis fired the shots, but Grist directed the plan. (eastidahonews.com) The case has unfolded across three family members over nearly two years. Kathryn Restelli pleaded guilty in September 2025 to murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and felony discharge of a firearm, and was later sentenced to six years to life in prison. (abc4.com) Kevin Ellis, 35, was convicted in January 2026 of murdering his brother-in-law, though a jury acquitted him on the conspiracy count. He was later sentenced to the maximum penalty allowed in his case, according to Fox 13 News Utah. (abc4.com) Grist took the stand in her own defense and denied joining any murder plan. Her lawyers argued Ellis acted on his own and said Grist’s earlier threats against Matthew Restelli were family jokes, not evidence of a conspiracy. (ksl.com) Kathryn Restelli testified that she tried to back out, but said her mother told her, “I’m doing it anyway,” according to KSL’s courtroom report. Prosecutors used that testimony to tie Grist directly to the planning. (eastidahonews.com) Grist is scheduled to be sentenced on June 10, 2026. By then, all three relatives charged in Matthew Restelli’s killing will have either pleaded guilty or been convicted. (courttv.com)
