A California farming tycoon was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of murder in the shooting death of his wife in an Arizona mountain community.

The Navajo County Sheriff’s Office named Michael Abatti, 63, as the suspect in the murder of his wife, 59-year-old Kerri Ann Abatti.

On Nov. 20, at approximately 9:20 p.m., Navajo County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived in Pinetop, Arizona, at the scene of an apparent homicide and found Kerri Ann Abatti dead from a gunshot wound, according to the sheriff’s office. Less than two weeks later, on Dec. 2, detectives executed search warrants on residences, properties, vehicles and camp trailers in El Centro, California, that were “associated with the Abatti family.”

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On Tuesday, detectives provided testimony to a Navajo County grand jury and obtained an indictment and arrest warrant from the Navajo County Superior Court. Michael was taken into custody that same day and was booked into the Imperial County Jail. The Navajo County Sheriff’s Office said Michael was booked on charges of violating Arizona Revised Statutes 13-1105 and first-degree murder. He is awaiting extradition to Arizona.

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“We extend our sincere condolences to Kerri’s family and to all those affected by this tragedy,” Navajo County Sheriff David Clouse said in a statement. He thanked those who worked on the case, as well as those who served on the Grand Jury, crediting them for “helping bring justice to the Abatti family.”

Michael and Kerri Abatti lived in El Centro before Kerri left in 2023 for Pinetop-Lakeside, her hometown, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Divorce filings seen by the LA Times reportedly showed that Kerri accused her husband of blocking her attempts to get the full picture of their income and real estate holdings while he made changes to their finances without consulting her or her attorney. She also claimed that she was struggling on the monthly spousal support that the court temporarily awarded her, according to the LA Times.

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Michael Abatti comes from a long line of farmers and owns one of the largest agricultural operations in the Imperial Valley, according to reports. Additionally, he reportedly served as a member of the Imperial Irrigation District from 2006 to 2010. He grew several crops, including onions, broccoli and cantaloupes, CBS News reported. The outlet added that Michael and Kerri Abatti were married in 1992 and had three children.

The Imperial County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

DENVER –The Nuggets have played on Christmas Day 11 times in their storied history. The Broncos have done so only four times. This year is only the second time that both teams are playing on the same Christmas day, and sports bars are getting ready.

“It almost makes you feel like you’re at the game,” said Adis Mizic, Kitchen Manager at Tom’s Watch Bar in Denver, where they’ll be having giveaways and a live DJ to get the crowd feeling festive. “The energy in this, it’s just amazing… that’s kind of the whole point. We want you to feel like you’re at the game.”

At Chopper’s Sports Grill in Denver, Christmas came early. Owner Frankie Schultz and his team just installed a 350-inch LED screen to handle the demand of such successful sports teams.

“Literally, we just got it up this morning,” Schultz said. “It’s pieces that go together, but it’s seamless, and we’re really excited about it.”

Management at both of the sports bars are appreciative of those who volunteered to work on Christmas. Tom’s Watch Bar is supplying their employees with a special meal, and Chopper’s will have their kitchen closed, but with premade snacks available.

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With low staffing, and unsure of how many patrons are going to show up on Christmas, Schultz hopes people will be willing to cut businesses some slack this holiday season.

“We’re going try to do what we can,” Schultz said, laughing. “We don’t know if it’s going to be five people or 200 but… it’s a holiday, so hopefully we get some forgiveness.”

The day of Denver7 Christmas sports starts off tomorrow with three NBA games, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Pregame coverage of the Broncos-Chiefs game starts at 5:30, with kickoff at 6:00 p.m.

The Nuggets-Timberwolvse game gets underway at 8:30 p.m. It will start on The Spot Denver3 until the football game is over. Then, it will move to Denver7 for the remainder of the game and news after.

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