A farming mogul has been arrested on a first-degree murder charge after his estranged former beauty queen wife was found shot dead inside her $1.6 million home. Michael Abatti, 63, was taken into custody in El Centro, California, on Dec. 23, according to the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators allege he had driven to Pinetop, Arizona, on Nov. 20 and fatally shot Kerri Ann Abatti, 59, inside the couple’s home, before returning to California. Abatti is being held in Imperial County while officials seek his extradition to face charges in Arizona, reports AP News. The pair, who married in 1992, had been locked in a divorce fight since 2023, with filings disputing finances and spousal support. After the split, Kerri Ann returned to her California hometown, where her family has lived for more than a century. The New York Post reported that she was once a school prom queen and, in 1984, was named Miss Navajo County. The paper said she later gained an Arizona real estate license and EMT firefighting credential, but left office and bookkeeping jobs in 1999 to raise her family.
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