Where Is Scott Pettigrew Now? Details of His Crime Explained
In 2016, 50-year-old Scott Edmund Pettigrew moved into the Cathedral City, California home of his coworker and friend, 66-year-old Anita Mimie Cowen. What began as a favor quickly spiraled into a nightmare. Pettigrew stopped paying rent after the first month, allowed his dogs to soil the house, vandalized property—“poured water on her computer” and “cut the batteries out of her phones”—and generally terrorized Cowen in her own home (All That’s Interesting, Distractify).
On June 9, 2016, Cowen filed for a restraining order and an eviction, describing how she was “terrorized daily in my own home… escalating each day. I need help.” (All That’s Interesting, Distractify). The judge ordered Pettigrew to remove his dogs and stay at least five yards away—but stopped short of evicting him (All That’s Interesting, NBC Los Angeles).
Just four days later, tragedy struck. On the night of June 14, police responded to a welfare check and discovered Cowen’s body—face-down and battered—in her swimming pool, and her home in disarray with signs of a violent struggle (NBC Los Angeles, All That’s Interesting). Officers found Pettigrew naked in his bedroom, covered in scratches, and a digital audio recorder capturing the final exchange between the two—Cowen’s screams, “Stay away from me! You bastard!” echoing before the recording abruptly ended (Daily Crime, All That’s Interesting).
In August 2019, a jury convicted Pettigrew of first-degree murder, elder abuse, and violating a protective order; he received a sentence of 25-years-to-life in prison (Daily Crime, The Cinemaholic, NBC Los Angeles). He is currently incarcerated at the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison in Corcoran, California, and will not be eligible for parole until the 2030s—updates vary, with some sources stating April 2033 and others citing December 2035 (Distractify, meaww.com, Hiptoro).
Pettigrew’s story was later featured in Netflix’s Worst Roommate Ever (Season 2, episode “Housemate from Hell”), bringing renewed attention to this horrifying case of trust betrayed and justice served (patch.com, The Cinemaholic).
