Holbrook, Arizona– Investigators declined to reveal a suspected motive in the shooting death of a prominent California farmer’s wife in eastern Arizona, but said the couple’s protracted divorce case came up in almost all interviews with family and friends.
It was Michael Abate, 63 years old Arrested Last week in El Centro, California, Kerry Ann Abate, 59, was shot to death at her family’s vacation home in Pinetop, Arizona, where she had moved after separating from her husband.
Investigators, who discussed the case at a news conference Monday, say Michael Abate traveled from El Centro to Pinetop on Nov. 20, carried out the killing and returned to California early the next morning. They refused to say what happened at Pinetop House in the last days of Kerry Abate’s life.
“Different theories will emerge,” Navajo County Sheriff David Close said of the motive. “The one thing that’s clear that I think everyone already knows is that there was a divorce and they couldn’t work it out. But I can’t exactly speak to the motive.”
Owen Roth, one of Michael Abate’s attorneys, said his client surrendered to law enforcement, agreed to be extradited to Arizona and remains innocent under the law. “Our client is in his mid-60s and has significant health issues, and we remain concerned about his safety,” Roth said. “We ask that the public respect their privacy and constitutional rights and reiterate that this case will be decided based on the evidence by a jury.” An autopsy report released on Monday stated that Kerry Abate’s cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head.
The report stated that her nephew found her unconscious on the floor near her kitchen, and told investigators that he heard a loud noise before finding her. When investigators searched the home, they found a “circular defect” in the window and determined that “a gunshot wound likely originated from the yard outside the home,” the autopsy report said.
The Associated Press left a message with the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office for further clarification. The Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office, which conducted the autopsy, directed questions about the report to a Navajo County official, and the AP also left a message for the official. A descendant of early Latter-day Saint settlers who helped found Pinetop in the 1880s, Kerry filed for divorce, and proceedings were pending in California at the time of her death.
Authorities searched his home in southern California on December 2 as part of the investigation into his wife’s death.
Michael Abate comes from a long line of farmers in the crop-rich Imperial Valley region, which is the largest user of Colorado River water and is known for growing leafy greens, watermelons and forage crops. His grandfather, an Italian immigrant, was one of the first settlers in the area and helped his father found the Imperial Valley Vegetable Growers Association.
Michael Abate served on the Board of Directors of the Strong Imperial Irrigation District from 2006 to 2010.
The Abates, who married in 1992 and had three children, had been arguing over financial matters. Kerry told the court the couple lived a wealthy lifestyle during more than three decades of marriage. They owned properties in three states, took international vacations and sent their children to private schools.
Keri initially received temporary spousal support of $5,000 per month. She later sought an increase in the amount, citing her struggle to maintain her standard of living as well as preserve the Arizona property. She also requested an additional $100,000 in attorney fees, court filings show.
Michael Abate eventually agreed to raise the subsidy to $6,400 a month, though he countered in a lawsuit that bad farming years had reduced his income. He blamed market shifts in favor of Ukrainian crops, high shipping costs and extreme weather.