Crime & Safety
Michael Abatti, California Farming Magnate, Arrested In Arizona In Estranged Wife's Shooting Death
Authorities say they believe Abatti drove to Arizona on Nov. 20 and fatally shot Kerri Ann Abatti, 59, before returning home to California.
December 24, 2025
A prominent California farmer was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of murder in the shooting death of his estranged wife in a remote mountain community in Arizona, the Navajo County Sheriff's Office said.
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Michael Abatti, 63, was arrested in El Centro, Calif. and booked into jail on a first-degree murder charge. He is awaiting extradition to Arizona.
Authorities say they believe he drove to Arizona on Nov. 20 and fatally shot Kerri Ann Abatti, 59, before returning home to California. She was found dead in her family's tree-shrouded vacation home in Pinetop, Arizona, where she moved after splitting with her husband.
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