Preliminary hearings were held at the 4th District Courthouse in Provo on Tuesday and Wednesday in the case of an American Fork woman accused of conspiring to have her son-in-law killed at her home last July.

Charging documents state that on the night of July 12, 2024, Matthew Restelli was killed inside of his mother-in-law’s home after traveling from California to pick up his wife, Kathryn, and their three children who had temporarily been staying in Utah.

According to court documents, Kevin Ellis, Kathryn’s brother, allegedly shot Restelli multiple times.

Tracey Grist, Kathryn’s mother, was also named in the case. All three were charged with conspiracy to commit murder, according to the charging documents.

“Kathryn and Tracey worked together to lure Matt into driving to Utah and then to entering Tracey’s house where Kevin was waiting armed with a handgun. Almost immediately after Matt arrived Kevin shot and killed Matt, who was unarmed,” a probable cause affidavit reads.

Ellis told police during initial questioning that he acted in self-defense because Restelli allegedly entered the home with a knife in his possession, but investigators determined the knife was planted in Restelli’s hands after he was shot and killed, court documents stated.

Grist, 59, and Kathryn Restelli were both scheduled to appear for a hearing Tuesday, but according to ABC4, Kathryn waived her right to the hearing, so only a hearing for Grist was held.

Matthew’s mother, Diane Restelli, was called by prosecutors to testify on the witness stand.

In her testimony, she said her son told her that he was driving to Utah to pick up his family because Kathryn, who was supposed to purchase a rental car to drive back to California, was unable to do so.

Diane Restelli told 4th District Judge Roger Griffin before the courtroom that her son and Kathryn’s relationship had “been rocky” and described her daughter-in-law as having some episodes of being angry, Court TV reported.

She went on to testify that she didn’t learn about her son’s death until the next day, July 13, when Grist reportedly called her and said “Matt is dead.”

Diane claimed that she learned that he’d been killed by Ellis through news reports and called Grist to confront her about what happened.

According to Court TV, in a phone call played for the courtroom, Grist described her son as gentle, kind and sweet and believed he only acted out of self-defense.

Court documents stated that nearly a month prior to the shooting, Kathryn left Matthew in their California home for “a breather” and reportedly told friends and family members she wanted a divorce.

“Kathryn told officers that she and Matt lived in California and had been struggling financially and that Matt had been verbally abusive. She said that on June 20, 2024, she took their two children and drove to American Fork to live with her mother, while Matt stayed in California,” the affidavit reads.

But Matthew Restelli reportedly was under the impression that she would eventually return to be with him in California, according to court documents.

Prior to Kathryn’s temporary relocation to American Fork, court documents found a text message on an iPad in which Grist allegedly said to one of her daughters, “Matt made it so I want to kill him. … When Katy asked about whatever I had said about her being the camper too much which I never said anything. … He straight up lied. … I’m gonna kill him,” charging documents read. Evidence recovered by lead officer in the case Joseph Nordin of the American Fork Police Department revealed Grist had been in contact with the company that sells the type of knife found in Matthew’s hands when police arrived, court documents stated.

Additional evidence recovered from Kathryn’s device showed an online search history of Utah gun laws and how to go about filing for divorce in Utah if her spouse is in California, according to the court documents.

Diane Restelli said on the witness stand that she believes her son was set up and alleges that his in-laws were ready to kill him once he arrived at Grist’s home.

The hearing was slated to continue Thursday but it was canceled since Kathryn Restelli waived her right to the hearing.

Griffin will ultimately make a decision whether or not the case will proceed to a trial.