Background: Kerri Ann Abatti”s home in Pinetop, Arizona (KPNX/YouTube). Inset: Michael Abatti (Mike Abatti Farms).
A prominent California agricultural entrepreneur is facing accusations of murdering his estranged wife in a case entwined with a $200 million trust. According to court documents, Michael Abatti, 63, allegedly traveled to his ex-wife’s Arizona residence, claiming to his family he was going “hunting in the desert,” before reportedly using a “high-powered rifle” to kill her.
Abatti has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Kerri Ann Abatti, 59, who was found dead last November.
Following a recent court decision to unseal documents, the Los Angeles Times has revealed new details. On the night Kerri Ann Abatti died, her family attempted to contact Michael Abatti, but he was unreachable. His family informed police that he had mentioned going “hunting in the desert,” as per a police affidavit.
Surveillance via license plate readers captured Abatti’s Ford pickup truck traveling south in El Centro on the day of the incident. It was reported leaving a usual hunting spot around 1:30 p.m. and later recorded in Globe, Arizona, at about 6:30 p.m.
Authorities arrived at Kerri Ann Abatti’s Pinetop, Arizona home at approximately 9:20 p.m., finding her dead with a gunshot wound. Her nephew, who shared the home, heard a loud noise and discovered her in the dining room, bleeding from the face, according to the affidavit.
While investigating, police observed a bullet hole in a dining room window but found no other shooting evidence or firearms inside. A gun-sniffing dog led investigators to a scent about 30 yards from the home, suggesting she was shot from outside. The affidavit indicates the use of a “high-powered rifle” in the attack.
Michael Abatti’s truck was caught on license plate readers in Globe, Ariz., at 11:41 p.m. and then again at his hunting grounds in California at 4:40 a.m., the affidavit says.
Police believe Abatti made the seven-hour drive to allegedly shoot and kill his estranged wife, then he “immediately returned to California” to try and take his own life.
“He attempted to kill himself because of an incident involving his wife,” Abatti told EMS workers after he called 911 and they responded, per the affidavit.
According to the Times and Associated Press, the Abattis separated in 2023 and Kerri Ann Abatti moved to the Pinetop house, which was their vacation home. She had filed for divorce, and proceedings were ongoing at the time of her death. They are said to have disagreed over money she was owed, with a $200 million trust being involved, the Times reports.
“I am barely scraping by each month, am handling all of the manual labor on our large property in Arizona and continuing its upkeep,” Kerri Ann Abatti reportedly wrote in court filings earlier this year. Michael Abatti, for his part, said he couldn’t afford to raise her monthly spousal support from $5,000 to her requested $30,000 due to two bad farming years. He eventually agreed to pay $6,400 a month.
The couple reportedly married in 1992 and had three children. In addition to having homes in California and Arizona, they also held ranch land in Wyoming, vacationed in Hawaii, Italy, and Switzerland, and sent their children to private school.
Mike Abatti Farms, which is based in El Centro, California, “has been in the agriculture industry for over 100 years,” according to its website.
