Influential Farmer Charged a Month After Beauty Queen Wife’s Death

Authorities in Arizona have announced murder charges against a California business tycoon more than a month after his estranged wife was found dead in her home.

Kerri Ann Abatti, 59, was found deceased from a gunshot wound at her Pinetop, Ariz. home on Nov. 20, the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office previously said.

Her husband, prominent California farmer and businessman Michael Abatti, has been arrested in connection with her death, the sheriff’s office said in an update on Tuesday, Dec. 23.

Michael, 63, was in the middle of divorce proceedings with Kerri, per AZ Central, CNN and The Los Angeles Times. He had been residing in El Centro, Calif. at the time of her killing, and was arrested by Imperial County, Calif. authorities, the sheriff’s office said.

Investigators allege Michael traveled from his residence in El Centro to Pinetop — an approximately 7-hour drive covering more than 400 miles — to kill Kerri, and then immediately returned home.

Kerri is being remembered fondly by her family and neighbors.

“She was one of those people who radiated light,” her cousin Cathy Penrod told The Los Angeles Times. “I don’t know how else to describe her. She was love and she was light.”

A former Miss Navajo and prom queen, Kerri was also repor a violinist who was thoughtful and deeply considerate of others, per the LA Times. Her family has deep roots in Pinetop, which was founded by her ancestors, and she ultimately retreated back home following her divorce, per the outlet.

Neighbor Rebecca Lopez told the LA Times Kerri always a carried a smile and would ask her own guests to drive slowly so that they wouldn’t cover Lopez’s home and cars with dust on their way to hers.

Michael and Kerri jointly owned Abatti Farms, encompassing thousands of acres in El Centro and growing various crops, the Desert Sun reported. Michael also has financial interests in energy and real estate, per the outlet.

According to court filings cited by the outlet, the divorce came as a surprise to Michael, who said Kerri left in August 2023 when he was away on a fishing trip.

Michael was under scrutiny from early on in the investigation. On Dec. 3, the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office said in an update they were conducting searches across several properties, as well as camp trailers and vehicles connected to the Abatti family.

In their statement this week, the sheriff’s office said they seized “a significant amount of evidence” during their search which led to Michael’s arrest.

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Michael was arrested by Imperial County, Calif. officials and taken to a local jail on a first-degree murder charge. He is awaiting extradition to Arizona.

PEOPLE has reached out to Michael’s attorney for comment.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.