Cathedral City murder case featured in new season of Netflix series 'Worst Roommate Ever'

A 2016 murder in Cathedral City is featured in the new season of Netflix's true crime docuseries "Worst Roommate Ever."

Read on to learn who the case involved, where it took place and how you can watch "Worst Roommate Ever."

What is 'Worst Roommate Ever' about?

"Worst Roommate Ever" debuted its first season on Netflix in 2022 and according to the series description, features roommate-related stories of "violent con artists and stone-cold killers." Some prominent cases covered during its first season were Sacramento boarding house owner and convicted murderer Dorothea Puente, and Danish fraudster Youssef Khater.

The second season was released on Wednesday and includes the episodes "Housemate From Hell," "Burning Down The House," "The Lethal Landlord" and "My BFF Tried to Kill Me."

What 'Worst Roommate Ever' episode features a Cathedral City story?

"Housemate from Hell," the second episode of season 2 , features the 2016 murder of Cathedral City resident Anita Cowen committed by her tenant Scott Pettigrew.

Who is Scott Pettigrew and what was he sentenced for?

In February 2016, Pettigrew rented a room at a home owned by Cowen in the 69-000 block of Heritage Court in Cathedral City after he was evicted from his previous residence because of a dispute with a neighbor. According to court documents, Cowen and Pettigrew were co-workers, but the exact place of their work was not mentioned.

As previously reported by The Desert Sun , Pettigrew paid $640 for the first month, but did not pay anything after that. In June 2016, Cowen had filed a request for a restraining order and eviction on June 9 and wrote that the man she rented a room to, Pettigrew, was on an escalating path of alarming behavior. Cowen said Pettigrew had refused to pay rent, stolen her food, poured water on her computer and cut the batteries out of her phones. Pettigrew also kept two dogs in his bedroom, but never let them out, so the animals defecated in the house daily. If Cowen complained, Pettigrew threatened her.

A superior court judge granted Cowen an eviction, but not the one she asked for. Pettigrew's dogs were ordered out of the house, but said Pettigrew could stay as long as he remained five yards away from Cowen. Landlord and tenant were scheduled for a court hearing two weeks later where they could work out a permanent solution.

Four days later, Cowen was dead. Pettigrew was in jail.

In August 2019, a jury convicted Pettigrew of murder , elder abuse and violating a protective order stemming from the death of Cowen. A few months later in November 2019, he was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

How can I watch 'Worst Roommate Ever'?

Want to learn more? All four episodes of the second season of "Worst Roommate Ever" are now available on Netflix .

Previous reporting by City News Service and Desert Sun staff was included in this report.

Desert Sun reporter Brian Blueskye covers arts and entertainment. He can be reached at brian.blueskye@desertsun.com or on Twitter at @bblueskye.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Cathedral City murder case featured in new season of Netflix series 'Worst Roommate Ever'