Detectives are looking at a divorce battle as a possible motive for the murder of an Imperial Valley farmer

Authorities on Monday released more details in their homicide investigation involving a powerful Imperial Valley farmer accused of killing his estranged wife in Arizona last month.

Since Kerri Ann Abatti was found shot to death in her home by her nephew on Nov. 20, a combined team of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies has been working around the clock to find the gunman, Navajo County Sheriff David Clouse said at a news conference Monday in Arizona.

Court documents show that Abatti, 59, was in the middle of a bitter divorce from her husband, powerful farmer Mike Abatti, 63, which led to her murder, and support money she owed was at the heart of the dispute.

After the shooting, investigators from the County Sheriff’s Office and the Pinetop Police Department secured the scene, obtained a search warrant and canvassed the neighborhood, Clouse said.

“We were looking for all the eyewitnesses, anyone who was at home at the time,” he said. They gathered evidence from home surveillance technology, such as door-knocking cameras, “trying to get as much information” as possible, and interviewed her friends and family – including her three older children – to create a timeline of her activities in the days before her death.

According to court documents, Kerri Abatti moved into the 7,000-square-foot home in her hometown east of the White Mountains in 2023 after leaving her husband and beginning divorce proceedings.

As part of their homicide investigation, detectives were “looking for anything out of the ordinary” around the time of Abatiti’s murder, Clouse said. They soon learn about the contentious divorce.

On Nov. 23, Clouse said the investigation moved to Imperial Valley, where they executed search warrants at three different locations, including Abattis’ home in El Centro and Michael Abatti’s business premises.

In the Imperial village, the name Abatti carries weight. Mike Abatti served as a board member for the Imperial Irrigation District from 2006-10 and once sued the district in a water rights dispute. He has a large farming business growing sugar beets, alfalfa and watermelons and is one of the most active in the area.

A sign in front of Mike Abatti’s farm store, bearing his late father’s name, in El Centro on December 10.

(Hayne Palmour IV/For The Times)

Divorce papers show that Kerri Abatti accused her husband of stonewalling her efforts to learn the full picture of their income and real estate while making changes to their finances without consulting her attorney. Meanwhile, he contends, he’s been struggling to keep up with the several thousand dollars in monthly spousal support the court has temporarily awarded him as the lawsuit drags on for more than two years.

As part of their investigation, detectives interviewed Abatiti’s friends, family and business associates in Arizona and Southern California.

Once enough information was gathered, the team referred to all their intelligence, looked for inconsistencies in the flags, and gave their findings to the Navajo County district attorney’s office, Clouse said.

On Tuesday, that information was presented before a Navajo County grand jury, and an arrest warrant was issued for Michael Abatti.

The Imperial County Sheriff’s Office arrested Abatti in El Centro that day. He is awaiting extradition to Arizona.

“We’ve received pick-up orders, he’s been placed in our transit line… and the date and time will be released once he’s back in Navajo County,” Clouse said. “We’ll let everyone know… once he’s secured in the Navajo County Jail.”