The beauty queen wife of farming tycoon Michael Abatti was found by her nephew on the floor in her $1.6 Arizona million mansion, unconscious and with a bullet wound in her head, according to an autopsy report.
Abatti, a farming scion in the Imperial Valley, is accused of killing his estranged wife Keri Ann Abatti, leading to his arrest in California earlier this month. The pair was battling the terms of a divorce settlement at the time of her Nov. 20 murder.
The nephew told investigators he had heard a loud sound before finding her fatally wounded in the couple’s Pinetop, Arizona, hilltop mansion, according to the autopsy report.
When investigators searched the home, they discovered a “circular defect” on a window and noted that “a gunshot likely originated from the yard outside the home,” the report said.
First responders were called to the mansion after one of Abatti’s relatives called to report a medical emergency, officials said in a news conference.
Paramedics discovered that Kerri had been shot, and she was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Kerri Abatti was reportedly living alone in the lavish pad after she separated from the farming mogul.
Michael Abatti drove from his California home to Pinetop, allegedly shot his wife, turned around and drove the 400 miles back to California.
Kerri had filed for divorce in California with proceedings pending at the time of her death.
The Abattis were married for 31 years and have three children. Kerri told the court they lived an affluent lifestyle and owned property in three states.
She originally received $5,000 monthly temporary spousal support, but was looking for more to maintain the standard of living she had grown accustomed to. She also asked for an additional $100,000 in attorney’s fees, court filings showed.
Abbatti, who was once on the board of the powerful Imperial Irrigation District raised support to $6,400 per month, despite having argued in a court filing that bad farming years had taken its toll on his business.
“Different theories will come up. 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.” said the Navajo County Sheriff.
Abatti is awaiting extradition to Arizona. “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.” said his attorney Owen Roth.
With Post wires
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