No motive revealed in killing of prominent California farmer's estranged wife in Arizona

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HOLBROOK, Ariz. (AP) — Investigators declined to reveal the suspected motive in the shooting death of a prominent California farmer’s estranged wife in eastern Arizona, but they said the couple's prolonged divorce case arose in nearly all interviews with family and friends.

Michael Abatti, 63, was arrested last week in El Centro, California, in the shooting death of Kerri Ann Abatti, 59, at her family’s vacation home in Pinetop, Arizona, where she moved after splitting with her husband.

Investigators, who discussed the case at a news conference Monday, say Michael Abatti traveled from El Centro to Pinetop on Nov. 20, carried out the killing and returned to California early the next morning. They declined to say what occurred at the Pinetop house in the last days of Kerri Abatti’s life.

“Different theories will come up,” Navajo County Sheriff David Clouse said of the motive. “The only thing that’s glaring that I think everybody already knows is there’s a divorce in place and they weren’t able to come to a resolution. But I can’t speak exactly to what the motive would be.”

Owen Roth, one of Michael Abatti’s attorneys, said his client surrendered to law enforcement, agreed to be extradited to Arizona and remains innocent under the law. “Our client is in his mid-60s and has significant health issues, and we continue to worry about his well-being,” Roth said. “We ask the public to respect his privacy and constitutional rights and reiterate that this case will be decided based on the evidence by a jury.” An autopsy report released Monday said Kerri Abatti’s cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head.

The report said she was found unconscious on the floor near her kitchen by her nephew, who told investigators he heard a loud sound before finding her. When investigators searched the home they found a “circular defect” on a window and determined “a gunshot likely originated from the yard outside the home,” the autopsy report said.

The Associated Press left a message for the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office for further explanation. The medical examiner’s office in Coconino County, which conducted the autopsy, directed questions about the report to a Navajo County official, and the AP also left a message for the official. A descendant of early Latter-day Saints settlers who helped found Pinetop in the 1880s, Kerri had filed for divorce, with proceedings pending in California at the time of her death.

Authorities searched his home in far Southern California on Dec. 2 as part of the investigation into his wife’s death.

Michael Abatti comes from a long line of farmers in the crop-rich Imperial Valley, which is the biggest user of Colorado River water and known for growing leafy greens, melons and forage crops. His grandfather, an Italian immigrant, was among the region’s early settlers and his father helped start the Imperial Valley Vegetable Growers Association.

Michael Abatti served on the board of the powerful Imperial Irrigation District from 2006 to 2010.

The Abattis, who married in 1992 and had three children, were sparring over finances. Kerri told the court the couple had lived an affluent lifestyle during more than three decades of marriage. They owned property in three states, vacationed internationally and sent their children to private school.

Kerri initially received $5,000 monthly temporary spousal support. She later sought an increase, citing struggles to maintain her standard of living as well as keep up the Arizona property. She also asked for an additional $100,000 in attorney’s fees, court filings showed.

Michael Abatti eventually agreed to raise support to $6,400 monthly, despite having countered in a court filing that poor farming years had reduced his income. He blamed market shifts favoring Ukrainian crops, rising shipping costs and harsh weather.