Overview
- At a Dec. 29 briefing, Navajo County officials outlined a timeline alleging Michael Abatti traveled from El Centro to Pinetop on Nov. 20, then returned to California early Nov. 21.
- A Navajo County grand jury indicted Abatti on Dec. 23 for first-degree murder, and he was arrested in El Centro and booked into a California jail.
- Investigators executed search warrants on Abatti properties, vehicles, and trailers in El Centro between late November and early December with assistance from multiple agencies, including the FBI.
- First responders found Kerri Ann Abatti with a gunshot wound at her Pinetop home, and she was pronounced dead en route to a Show Low hospital after the scene was secured for four days of canvassing.
- Officials declined to identify a motive as divorce and financial disputes surfaced in interviews, while Abatti’s attorneys say he will plead not guilty, cite health concerns, and confirm he has waived extradition to Arizona.