California man arrested in connection with Pinetop woman's murder: NCSO

PHOENIX - Officials with the Navajo County Sheriff's Office said an arrest has been made in connection with the death of a Pinetop woman in late November.

What we know:

In a statement released on Dec. 23, the suspect was identified as 63-year-old Michael Abatti of El Centro, a community located in California's Imperial County. Abatti was taken into custody on the same day the statement was released.

Investigators said they served "multiple search warrants on residences, properties, vehicles, and camp trailers associated with the Abatti family" in El Centro on Dec. 2.

"Detectives worked with multiple police agencies in the state of Arizona and in the state of California to develop information and evidence leading to probable cause to believe that Michael Abatti traveled from the state of 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."

Michael Abatti (Imperial County Sheriffs Office)

The backstory:

We reported on the murder of Kerri Ann Abatti on Dec. 5.

Navajo County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Brian Swanty said on the night of Nov. 20, first responders were sent to the victim's home, after a family member inside the home called 911.

When crews arrived, Swanty said they found the victim suffering from a gunshot wound.

"She was pronounced deceased while en route to the hospital," Swanty said.

Dig deeper:

Court documents show Abatti and Kerri Ann were going through divorce proceedings. According to the Associated Press, the two were married in 1992, and had three children. The couple had split in 2023.

The AP reported that after the two split, Kerri Ann was granted $5,000 a month in temporary spousal support, but there was a request in 2024 for the amount to be increased to $30,000, with Kerri Ann saying she couldn't maintain her standard of living.

She also asked for an additional $100,000 in attorney's fees, court filings show.

Abatti, meanwhile, said in a legal filing that he couldn't afford the increase after two bad farming years took a toll on his monthly income. He said European shifts in crop-buying to support war-plagued Ukrainian farmers and rising shipping costs were to blame along with an unusually cold and wet winter. 
He 

What's next:

Abatti, per the statement, was indicted by a grand jury in Navajo County, and was booked into the Imperial County Jail in California on First Degree Murder charges.