Scott Pettigrew Murdered His Roommate Who Ended up Recording the Last Few Moments of Her Life

According to public court documents, Mimie Anita Cowen had been repeatedly harassed by her roommate, reported the Desert Sun. Scott Pettigrew had "refused to pay rent, stolen her food, poured water on her computer, and cut the batteries out of her phones," said the documents. He also had two dogs that he kept locked in his room, and they constantly defecated on the carpet.

On June 9, 2016, Cowen requested Pettigrew be evicted from her residence and also filed for a restraining order. Unfortunately, Superior Court Judge James Cox only evicted the dogs and said Pettigrew could stay as long as he was five yards from Cowen at all times. A week later, Cowen was found dead facedown in her swimming pool. Where is Scott Pettigrew now? Here's what we know.

Pettigrew is currently serving a 25-years-to-life sentence at a Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison in Corcoran, Calif. He won't be eligible for parole until April 2033, per the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. In August 2019 he was convicted of "murder, elder abuse, and violating a protective order," reported the Desert Sun.

During Pettigrew's sentencing, Judge Johnnetta Anderson commented on how vulnerable Cowen was. "The defendant did take advantage of the position of trust or confidence to commit the offense," he said. Leading up to her murder, Cowen was living in terror. In the court documents, she said she was "scared to do anything except stay away." Cowen also said, "Scott is intensifying this to keep me in constant fear of him and what he will do next time. I don’t want a next time." The next time, as it turned out, was the last time.

The night Cowen was murdered, veteran Cathedral City police officer Daniel Anes had been to her house twice. The first time he addressed an issue between Cowen and Pettigrew but the second time, the Desert Sun reported, was when he found her body in the backyard pool. Her bruised and battered body was covered in cuts.

While searching the house, Ahrens found a digital recording device that contained the last minutes of Cowen's life. In it she is heard screaming, "Stay away from me! You b-----d! You bastard! You b-----d!" She also repeatedly tells her assailant to get out. Ahrens then stumbled upon a naked Pettigrew, who was lounging in his former bedroom. He was immediately arrested and later found guilty.