Farming tycoon shot estranged wife dead through window of ranch after she accused him of concealing his vast wealth during ugly divorce, police say
A prominent California farming tycoon allegedly shot his wife dead through a ranch window after she accused him of hiding his wealth amid their acrimonious divorce.
Michael Abatti, 63, is accused of gunning down his partner of 31 years Kerri Ann Abatti, 59, in their $1.6 million mansion in Pinetop, Arizona, on November 20.
Abatti was arrested at his home in El Centro, California on December 23 after investigators with the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office said they uncovered evidence linking him to the shooting.
The couple were reportedly entangled in a bitter divorce at the time of the shooting and Kerri Ann had been living at their Arizona vacation home during the split.
Investigators have provided additional details including that they found a shattered window at the luxury ranch which they believe the fatal gunshot was fired through, according to the LA Times.
Abatti traveled from his home in California to Arizona, allegedly shot his wife dead, then immediately returned to California, police said.
The alleged killer is one of the most prolific farmers in the El Centro area, which is known for its abundant farming industry as it feeds off the Colorado River.
His crops bring in over $10 million per year, however the family’s fortune was reportedly a point of contention when his marriage broke down in 2023.
California farming tycoon Michael Abatti, 63, was arrested on suspicion of murdering his estranged wife at their remote Arizona vacation home
The businessman allegedly shot dead his wife of 31 years Kerri Ann Abatti, 59, in their $1.6 million mansion in Pinetop, Arizona, on November 20
The Daily Mail previously revealed the messy relationship between Abatti and his estranged wife before she died.
The pair was entrenched in a battle over finances – as Kerri claimed that her millionaire husband had left her a ‘measly’ allowance after she left him, according to court records.
Filings from October 2023 allege that Abatti expected her to run the 14-acre Pinetop property single-handedly while paying her $5,000 a month as part of a spousal agreement, a sum she deemed insufficient.
Kerri claimed that she had little knowledge of her husband’s finances during their marriage, despite owning a number of properties including a $12.5 million ranch in Wyoming.
In court documents, Kerri claimed that her husband left managing their Arizona estate up to her, and said she was ‘barely scraping by each month’.
In January, a judge ruled in Kerri’s favor, increasing her monthly spousal support payment to $6,400.
Authorities said Abatti’s arrest came after multiple search warrants were served on several properties, vehicles, and camp trailers owned by the farming magnate, which led to a ‘significant amount of evidence’.
The Navajo County Sheriff’s Office did not elaborate on the evidence seized, but alleged that it led them to believe Abatti had traveled between California and Arizona to carry out the killing.
Abatti, a powerful millionaire farming businessman in California with 20,000 acres under cultivation, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with first-degree murder. He has not yet made a plea.
Kerri was found inside the family’s $1.6 million home in Pinetop, Arizona, where she had been living during their divorce. Pictured: An aerial shot of the property
Abatti is one of the most prolific farmers in the El Centro area, and his 20,000 acres of crops reportedly bring in over $10 million per year
Kerri was a Girl Scout, a cheerleader and a member of the school’s orchestra. When she was a high school senior, she was named Miss Navajo County and earned a $1,000 scholarship to the University of Arizona, according to the LA Times.
However, divorce records indicate that she never graduated from college. She obtained a real estate license and became an EMT.
She eventually let those certifications lapse and went on to work as an office manager for a third-party company and as a bookkeeper for the Abatti family company, Abatti Farms LLC.
When her second of three children was born, she worked solely as a bookkeeper for Abatti Farms until 1999 when she stopped working altogether to focus on her family.
Kerri’s loved ones said she wanted to reconnect with her roots during the divorce. Her family dates back to the Pinetop community for generations, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Her cousin, Cathy Penrod, 72, told the outlet that since leaving her husband, Kerri had been searching for a sense of belonging.
She had also been tending to her family’s private cemetery in Pinetop, where six generations of Penrods have been laid to rest, in a chilling foreshadowing of her own fate.
Pictured: Investigators at load a black gun safe into a truck from Michael Abatti’s property on December 2 during the serving of search warrants
The town was originally settled by Kerri’s Mormon ancestors, William and Polly Penrod, who had moved their family from Utah to the mountain community more than a century ago.
Eerily, Penrod said Kerri had placed poinsettias on the graves of her relatives in the days before she was killed.
‘I realize now that was what she was craving: a bond, a connection to her family. It’s what she needed to do,’ Penrod said.
‘She came back because this was the center of her universe. It’s where her soul belonged.’
Penrod told the LA Times that she does not know how Kerri and Michael met, but speculated that she felt abashed about the divorce.
‘She must have felt so much shame,’ Penrod told the outlet. ‘But she also must have known how deep her family’s love was for her. That no matter what, this was her home.’
