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Utah mother admits to luring estranged husband to his death in fake self-defense plot with family

Utah mother admits to luring estranged husband to his death in fake self-defense plot with family

New York Posta day ago
A Utah woman admitted to conspiring to kill her husband with the help of her mother and brother, making the fatal shooting look like an act of self-defense.
Kathryn Restelli, 37, pleaded guilty to a reduced count of murder and conspiracy to commit murder for the death of Matthew Restelli, 34, her estranged husband who was shot dead at her family's residence in American Fork last July, local KSL reported.
The mother of two told the court that she lured her husband to her mother's home on July 12, 2024, with the promise of reconciling their relationship, telling him he was free to walk into the home unannounced.
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3 Utah mother Kathryn Restelli has pleaded guilty to luring her husband, Matthew Restell,i to his death.
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3 Kathryn Restelli told her estranged husband to enter her family's house — where her brother shot him.
Legacy.com
Restelli and her family had set things up in such a way that they would accuse Matthew of breaking into their house, allowing Kevin Ellis, her brother, to shoot him and make a claim of self-defense, according to the plea statement.
Officers who arrived at the scene testified that they found Matthew with a knife in his hand, but its placement seemed unusual and raised doubts about the family's self-defense claim.
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Police said Matthew was gripping the knife in the wrong direction and that the weapon was in his right hand — despite the fact that he's left-handed and that a bullet wound was centered on the wrist holding the blade.
Restelli's mother, Tracey Grist, called 911 after the shooting, but the call from inside the house came minutes after a neighbor had already notified police, setting off more alarm bells.
Diane Restelli, Matthew's mother, said her son was concerned after his wife took the kids and family truck to stay with her family in Utah.
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3 Kathryn Restelli and her family claimed the shooting was in self defense.
Legacy.com
Matthew had agreed to drive from his California residence to American Fork to pick up his family because Restelli told him she could not rent a vehicle to come back, Diane told the court.
Despite promising Matthew that the family would drive back together, police said Restelli had not packed anything for the supposed trip.
Restelli had also put a tracking device in Matthew's truck to monitor his arrival and stayed in touch to make sure he would get to the house so her family would be ready to act, she admitted.
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Grist allegedly prepared the home for the murder, which included covering the living room couch to prevent it from getting blood stains.
Along with pleading guilty to reduced count of murder and conspiracy to commit murder, Restelli was also hit with a Felony discharge of a firearm charge.
She is set to return to court on Sept. 9 for her sentencing, where she faces a maximum of life in prison.
Ellis and Grist have both been charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder, obstruction of justice, and two counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child.
Ellis, whose trial is expected to start on Jan. 20, has also been charged with possession of a gun as a restricted person and drug possession.
Grist also has a jury trial scheduled to start on Jan. 12.
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Relatives, authorities ask for public's help with investigation of Ole Miss player's fatal shooting
Relatives, authorities ask for public's help with investigation of Ole Miss player's fatal shooting

Hamilton Spectator

time9 hours ago

  • Hamilton Spectator

Relatives, authorities ask for public's help with investigation of Ole Miss player's fatal shooting

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities on Monday asked for members of the public to provide surveillance footage and details from eyewitnesses as they investigate the fatal shooting of an Ole Miss freshman football player in a Memphis neighborhood after a pool party. Corey Adams, an 18-year-old defensive lineman from New Orleans, was found with a gunshot wound inside a vehicle at an intersection in the Memphis suburb of Cordova on Saturday night, said Anthony Buckner, chief deputy of the Shelby County Sheriff's Office. Adams died at the location of the shooting. Four other men who suffered gunshot wounds that were not life-threatening arrived at nearby hospitals in personal vehicles. Three of them had been released from the hospital as of Monday afternoon, Buckner said. The shooting happened after a pool party attended by about 100 people, including Adams, Buckner said during a news conference. About 40 rifle and pistol casings were found at the shooting scene. No arrests have been made. Buckner asked members of the public who may have information useful to investigators, including surveillance footage from video cameras at neighbors' homes, to come forward. 'We have far more questions right now than we have answers,' Buckner said. 'We know people saw something or heard something.' Adams, who played at Edna Carr High School in New Orleans, is listed on the Ole Miss football website as a 6-foot-4-inch, 235-pound defensive end. He had been one of the top defensive lineman recruits in the country. Adams' mother, who spoke at the news conference but declined to be named for fear of retribution, said Adams was a loving son and brother who had hopes of playing in the NFL. He had time off from practice and went to Memphis to enjoy himself, she said. Memphis is about 85 miles (135 kilometers) north of Oxford, Mississippi, where Ole Miss is located. The Edna Karr Cougars said in a Facebook post that 'words can't describe this type of pain.' 'Corey Adams was more than a football player! He was a friend, brother, son, student, and all around great young man,' the team stated. 'We never question God but this is one we just don't understand.' ___ AP college football: and Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .

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