In Worst Roommate Ever S2E2, we meet Scott Pettigrew, a man who moves in with an elderly lady and almost immediately becomes abusive. Unfortunately, despite her attempts to have him removed from the house, he was able to remain and eventually murdered her in an alcohol-fueled rage. We’ll look at where Scott is now and what happened to him after the events shown in this episode.
What happened to Scott after Worst Roommate Ever, and where is he now?
On June 14, 2016, Riverdale County Sheriff’s Department deputies arrived at Anita Cowen’s house to serve Scott Pettigrew a restraining order stating that he must remove his dogs from the property and remain at least five yards away from Cohen. However, the judge who issued the order, James A. Cox, refused to require Pettigrew to move out as he hadn’t been physically violent toward Cowen at this point.
That evening, Cowen and Pettigrew got into an argument while she was on the phone with her son. Frightened for his mother, Cowen’s son began driving to her house and phoned the police to check on her. Unfortunately, when officers arrived they found Cowen floating in her pool dead. It was apparent from her injuries that she had been badly battered, then left for dead.
While searching the house, officers found Pettigrew naked and covered in scratches. Pettigrew attempted to deflect blame onto him and Cowen’s previous roommate, but he had an airtight alibi. This, along with a recording of the fatal altercation on a digital audio recorder, led police to quickly arrest Pettigrew for murder.
Pettigrew pled not guilty to first-degree murder. His lawyers attempted to argue that he was too drunk that night to be able to pre-mediate Cowen’s murder. However, a jury was unconvinced, and Pettigrew was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
According to state records, Pettigrew currently resides at California State Prison – Corcoran. He will first be eligible for parole in April, 2033.
