American Fork man who claimed self-defense now charged with killing brother-in-law

By Pat Reavy

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    AMERICAN FORK, Utah (KSL) — An American Fork man who claimed he shot and killed his sister’s estranged husband in self-defense shortly after he arrived in Utah from California was charged Friday with murder.

Kevin Stanley Ellis, 33, is charged in 4th District Court with murder, a first-degree felony; obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony; two counts of domestic violence in the presence of children and being a restricted person in possession of a gun, third-degree felonies; and drug possession, a class A misdemeanor.

Ellis’ sister and the victim, 42-year-old Matthew Restelli, lived in California and had been having marital problems, including “struggling financially and … (Restelli) had been verbally abusive,” according to police. The sister and her two young children went to American Fork about three weeks earlier to stay with her mother.

On July 12, Restelli drove from California to American Fork and arrived about 10:15 p.m. Just a short time after he arrived, and before he even saw his estranged wife, Restelli was shot multiple times and killed, the charges state.

When Ellis was taken to the American Fork Police Department for questioning, he requested the presence of his attorney.

“Kevin’s lawyer stated the victim entered the residence without permission. Kevin’s lawyer stated the victim took Kevin and his mother by surprise and was agitated. Kevin’s lawyer stated the victim was carrying a knife. Kevin’s lawyer stated at this point, Kevin was afraid for his life and shot the victim in self-defense,” police wrote in a booking affidavit.

But according to charging documents, the mother told police “she knew that (Restelli) was coming to the residence and that (he) would be coming a little after 10 p.m.” Ellis’ sister was also aware that Restelli was coming and had been waiting for him, the charges state.

When police examined Restelli.’s body, they noted that he “was holding the knife in his right hand in the wrong position, with the blade facing toward (Restelli) instead of away from (him). The knife was a single-sided blade that had a grip for the fingers. The grip of the knife was pushing into the palm of (Restelli’s) hand while the spine part of the handle of the knife was pushing into (his) fingers,” according to the charging documents.

“Additionally (Restelli) had been shot in the right wrist and the wrist had both an entry and an exit wound that caused extensive damage to (his) right wrist where M.R. had been ‘holding’ the knife,” the charges continue, while also noting that Restelli is left-handed.

Prosecutors say Restelli was shot once in the chest and twice in the back.

“Officers discovered eight bullet casings in the living room near the front door of the home and the hall where (Restelli) had been found,” the charges say.

Restelli’s estranged wife and two children were in an upstairs bedroom when the shooting occurred.

Ellis also tested positive for cocaine in his system when he was arrested, and a rolled-up $1 bill that had cocaine on it was found on his nightstand by detectives after the shooting, according to the charges.

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