Wealthy Farming Executive Accused of Killing Wife at Vacation Home Amid Divorce

A wealthy California farming executive is facing a first-degree murder charge after authorities say he traveled across state lines, shot his estranged wife at a remote Arizona home, and then drove straight back to California.

Michael Abatti, 63, was arrested Tuesday afternoon in El Centro, California, and charged with the murder of his 59-year-old estranged wife, Kerri Ann Abatti, according to the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona. He is currently being held in the Imperial County Jail while awaiting extradition.

The killing allegedly happened on the night of November 20 at a home in Pinetop, Arizona, a quiet mountain town in the eastern part of the state. Deputies were dispatched to the residence around 9:20 p.m. after a 911 call reported a medical emergency inside the home.

When officers entered, they found Kerri Ann Abatti dead from a gunshot wound.

Investigators spent days combing through the scene and gathering evidence. On December 2, detectives served multiple search warrants on properties, vehicles, and trailers connected to the Abatti family in El Centro. Authorities said some of that evidence is still being analyzed.

According to investigators, the evidence led them to believe Abatti made a roughly seven-hour drive from California’s agricultural heartland to eastern Arizona, fatally shot his estranged wife, and then immediately returned to California.

An indictment and arrest warrant were secured Tuesday, leading to his arrest.

Court records and reports indicate the Arizona home was a vacation property where Kerri Ann Abatti had moved after the couple separated in 2023. She had filed for divorce, and the proceedings were ongoing at the time of her death.

The split had reportedly become contentious over money. In court filings earlier this year, Kerri Ann Abatti wrote that she was struggling financially while maintaining the Arizona property on her own. She asked the court to increase her spousal support from $5,000 a month to $30,000.

Michael Abatti argued he could not afford the increase due to poor farming seasons, eventually agreeing to pay $6,400 per month.

The couple married in 1992 and had three children together. According to reports, they owned multiple properties across several states, held ranch land in Wyoming, traveled internationally, and sent their children to private schools.

Abatti is tied to Mike Abatti Farms, a family-owned operation based in El Centro that has operated for more than a century. In recent years, Abatti was also involved in a high-profile legal fight over water rights in California’s Imperial Valley, even petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court in 2021.

The case remains under investigation as Abatti prepares to be transferred back to Arizona to face charges.