40: Cops Uncover ENTIRE Family's HORRIFYING Secret: A Murder Plot Gone Wrong

episode

True Crime with Rachel Shannon 22 min 1 speaker 7 chapters transcribed

▲ 0

Transcript

jump: chapters · speakers · find in transcript

Transcript

Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

What are the alarming trends in marriage and murder?

Narrator 0:00

In the past few years, it seems that we keep seeing these cases where a husband or wife will want out of their relationship by any means necessary, except divorce. For whatever reason, people seem to think that murder is easier to get away with than going through a divorce, and because of that, we keep seeing these innocent people losing their lives for absolutely no reason.

Who was Matt Rastelli and what was his life like?

Narrator 0:23

It's such a wild phenomenon and when you hear the details of this case, you will be just as blown away as I am by how stupid some people can really be. With that being said, let's get into the case. Matt Rastelli was born in Houston, Texas on May 4th, 1982. Matt was known as having a deep love for the outdoors. He was an avid mountain biker and fisherman. He could spend hours on end exploring various nature trails, whether he was alone or with his kids. Loved ones said that Matt's profound love for adventure and nature were evident to everyone who knew him. At the time of his death, he was married to Kate Rustelli. It's been reported that the couple had two children, though his obituary lists three of them and one of them appears a bit older, so I believe his oldest son is from a previous relationship. Either way, those who knew Matt said that his family was the most important part of his life.

Narrator 1:17

His commitment to his family was unparalleled, not just giving them boundless love, but also bringing them on so many adventures that brought them closer together. At the time, Kate, Matt, and their children were living together in California, However, after around seven years of marriage, the marital issues they had been facing were really coming to a head. First, the two were said to be experiencing financial issues, which can definitely put strain on a marriage. Then, according to a family member of Kate's, her and Matt both seemed to have a kind of short fuse. they had a way of getting under each other's skin and getting into arguments that just were not necessary.

What led to the Rastelli family's marital issues?

Narrator 1:56

They seemed to have a lot of tension in their relationship at this time, though it's not believed that there was any sort of domestic abuse in the relationship, at least not at that point. Either way, due to the issues between the pair, by June of 2024, Kate decided to take her kids and drive all the way to American Fork, Utah to stay with her mother, Tracy Gist, while Matt stayed back in California. This arrangement lasted several weeks, but throughout that time, Matt was asking his wife to come back to California with the kids. He even offered to send her money so that she could get a rental car to drive back. But this isn't what she wanted. She wanted to be done with her relationship with Matt.

Narrator 2:38

She wanted to just keep the kids with her, forget about him, and just move on with her life. According to text messages later recovered by police, when Matt first suggested she get a rental car and drive back, Kate's mother said that she should fake a sprained ankle. She said that she knew how to wrap it up and make it look swollen under the wrap. She texted her, can't drive with that sprained ankle. So Kate did just that. She told Matt that she can't come to California because she wasn't able to drive with her bad ankle. To this, Matt said that he could drive to pick her up. At this point, Kate finally gave in and told Matt that he could come get her.

What events unfolded leading up to the murder?

Narrator 3:18

But as that was happening, Kate was trying to figure out a way to get herself out of the situation with Matt. She was desperate to get out of the marriage and was going to figure it out one way or another. So by July 11th, Kate scheduled an appointment with the divorce attorney to discuss her rights. After that meeting though, Kate was just left frustrated. She expressed to a friend that she was pissed and felt hopeless. She didn't know what to do. By the following day, July 12th, Matt texted his wife that he was about to head over to her mother's house to pick her and the kids up. She texted him her address and then sent her a photo of the house so he knew exactly where to go.