Authorities discovered 65-year-old landlady Mimie Anita Cowen floating facedown in her pool last June. When the police entered her home, they found Scott Edmund Pettigrew naked in her bed and covered in scratches. In addition to finding the suspect, authorities also found a digital audio recorder that contained a minute-long recording which is believed to be the dispute that led to Cowen’s demise.
During a preliminary hearing last week, Detective Heather Olsen revealed, “It was a recording of what I believe took place that night,” according to WTSP.
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Prosectuors played the recording, in which could be heard a woman’s voice shouting, “Stay away from me!” and “You b*****d! You b*****d! You b*****!” The voice also pleads, “Get out of here! Get out of here! Get off me!”
Adding to the troubling nature of the ordeal is that days earlier, Cowen filed for both a restraining order and eviction for Pettigrew, as his behavior reportedly became increasingly erratic.
In the court documents seeking the restraining order, Cowen revealed she was “scared to do anything except stay away.” She added, “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.”
That erratic behavior, according to the documents, included refusing to pay rent, stealing her food, allowed his dogs to defecate inside the house, poured water over her electronics, and cut batteries out of her phone. Pettigrew was renting a room in Cowen’s house, as they were co-workers and he had been evicted from his previous residence.
In the few months in which Pettigrew rented the room, he only paid rent once and would threaten her when she tried to discuss finances.
“I am being terrorized daily in my own home,” Cowen explained in the documents. “Escalating each day. I need help. I need a restraining order.”
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Superior Court Judge James Cox denied the eviction attempt, but gave a five-yard restraining order against Pettigrew. The two were scheduled to appear in court together two weeks later. Five days later was when Cowen’s bruised and bloody body was discovered.
Police responded to reports from Cowen’s family members after they overheard an altercation between Cowen and Pettigrew over the phone. When authorities finally arrived, they discovered her body, and after performing CPR, pronounced her dead at the scene. Inside the house, the police discovered broken statues, damaged furniture, and broken glass.
Pettigrew denies all charges against him.
[H/T Daily Mail]
