A prominent Southern California farming mogul is accused of traveling to Arizona to fatally shoot his estranged wife, who had filed for divorce two years earlier.
Authorities arrested Michael Abatti, a member of a well-known farming family in California’s Imperial Valley, on Tuesday after an Arizona grand jury indicted him on murder charges in the death of his wife of 31 years, Kerri Ann Abatti.
The 59-year-old mother of three was found dead on Nov. 20 at the couple’s second home in the small Arizona community of Pinetop, located in the White Mountains.
The couple separated in August 2023. Michael Abatti remained in El Centro, California, while Kerri Ann Abatti moved to the Arizona home, which was close to her elderly parents. Court records show she filed for divorce in October 2023, citing irreconcilable differences.
According to The Los Angeles Times, the divorce proceedings became increasingly contentious and dragged on in court.
Court records reviewed by the newspaper state that Kerri Ann Abatti accused her husband of “stonewalling” her efforts to understand the couple’s income and real estate holdings “while he made changes to their finances without consulting her or her attorney.”
She also claimed she was “barely scraping by” on the temporary monthly spousal support awarded by the court.
Investigators allege Michael Abatti traveled more than 400 miles to the 14-acre property in Pinetop and shot his estranged wife. Chief Deputy Brian Swanty of the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office said she died from her injuries while being transported to the hospital after a relative discovered her.
The divorce case was still pending at the time of her death.
On Dec. 2, detectives executed search warrants at properties and vehicles connected to the Abatti family in El Centro. The Navajo County Sheriff’s Office said investigators uncovered “a significant amount of evidence” that led them to identify Michael Abatti as a suspect.
“Detectives worked with multiple law enforcement agencies in Arizona and California to develop information and evidence leading to probable cause to believe that Michael Abatti traveled from California on November 20, 2025, to Pinetop, Arizona, where he is believed to have shot and killed Kerri Ann Abatti, and then immediately returned to California,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Before her marriage, Kerri Ann Penrod was named prom queen in high school, earned the title of Miss Navajo County, and was known as a talented violinist.
After the birth of her second child, she left her job as an office manager to raise her children at home but continued working as a bookkeeper for Abatti Farms, LLC, according to the Times.
A newspaper profile described the Abatti family as living a lavish lifestyle, with frequent trips to Europe and Hawaii, first-class travel, and stays at luxury five-star hotels. Their three children, reported to be in their young teens, attended private schools.
In August 2023, Kerri Ann Abatti returned to Pinetop, her ancestral home and a deeply religious community, to help care for her parents, the Times reported.
Family members told the outlet they did not know what prompted her decision to leave her husband.
Michael Abatti was booked into the Imperial County Jail and is awaiting extradition to Arizona.
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