American Fork man arrested for alleged murder of brother-in-law

AMERICAN FORK, Utah ( ABC4 ) — An American Fork man was arrested on Friday for the murder of his brother-in-law, according to American Fork Police .

Kevin Stanley Ellis, 33, is being charged in Utah County with murder (first-degree felony), possession of a controlled substance (class-A misdemeanor), and possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person (third-degree felony).

At around 10:15 p.m. on July 12, officers responded to reports of a man who had been shot at an American Fork residence. Police had received two phone calls within the 10 minutes prior to their response — one from a neighbor reporting they had heard gunshots, and one shortly after from Ellis’ mother reporting that a man had been shot.

Upon arriving at the scene, officers asked “who had the gun,” and Ellis replied that he did. Inside the residence, police found a man who appeared to have been shot multiple times. It was later determined by a medical examiner that the man was shot multiple times in the back and once in the chest.

The victim, a known family member, was pronounced deceased at the scene. Officers found a knife in the victim’s right hand.

At the time of the shooting, Ellis, along with Ellis’ mother, sister, and his sister’s two children, aged 3 and 6, were all at the residence, according to a probable cause affidavit. Based on interviews with family members, police determined Ellis’ sister and her two children had been staying at Ellis’ mother’s American Fork residence for about three weeks.

Ellis’ sister had reportedly been having marital issues with her husband over the past few years, and drove to Utah from her and her husband’s California residence. She had brought their two children with her.

Ellis’ sister told police that her husband was verbally aggressive and was dependent on alcohol and marijuana.

According to Ellis’ sister, she had plans to drive a rental car home to California on the morning of July 12, but was unable to pick up the car due to having an out-of-state license. She allegedly told the victim this information, and he decided to drive to Utah to pick up his wife and children.

While Ellis’ sister agreed to have a conversation with the victim, she stated she was undecided whether she and the children would drive back home with the victim or proceed with a separation.

According to Ellis, who was accompanied by an attorney, the victim entered the residence without permission, taking Ellis and his mother by surprise. He also told police that the victim was agitated and armed with a knife.

Ellis stated he feared for his life and shot the victim in self-defense. He declined to answer further questions about the details of the shooting.

The victim’s wife and two children were upstairs in the master bedroom of the residence at the time of the shooting, according to the affidavit. The two children were reportedly asleep at the time.

After the shooting, Ellis’ mother went upstairs and told her daughter that there had been an incident, and not to come downstairs. She called the police shortly after.

In an upstairs bedroom of the residence, officers found what appeared to be Ellis’ belongings, Ellis’ wallet, and a rolled-up dollar bill with a white powdery substance inside — which later tested positive for cocaine.

A search of Ellis’ criminal history reportedly showed that between 2007 and 2014, he had prior charges and convictions for battery and several DUIs in California.

Ellis was booked into Utah County Jail on the charges previously stated.

No further information is available at this time.

Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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