Life in Liberal California

[liberty]

She didn’t need a gun she had a restraining order.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/wom ... spartandhp

Woman recorded her own murder, police say
© Brett Kelman, The Desert Sun The home of Mimie Cowen, who was killed in Cathedral City last June
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — It was almost midnight when Daniel Anes, a veteran Cathedral City police officer, got to the house on Heritage Court.

No one answered the doorbell, so Anes peeked through the window, looking for signs of trouble. A vase and a flower pot shattered on the floor. Barking dogs ran amok inside.
Anes was alarmed. Just four hours ago, he had been at this same house to help the owner, Mimie Anita Cowen, with a problematic tenant. At that time, tensions had been high, but nothing was broken.
Anes called for backup, then three other police officers rushed to the Cathedral City cul-de-sac where Cowen lived. Together, they jumped a block wall into the backyard of the house.
They knew immediately — this was a murder scene.
Cowen, 65, was floating face down in her pool. Purple bruises covered her shoulders and half of her face, and there were cuts on her forehead, lip and ear. Handfuls of dirty-blonde hair had been torn from her head.
Two cops pulled Cowen out of the pool and began CPR while Anes slipped through a pair of broken French doors to search the house. The floor was covered with smashed glass, discarded flowers and clumps of long, human hair. A ceramic cat statue had been broken, then the front paw was jabbed through the door of a kitchen cabinet.
Police also found a digital audio recorder on the floor under the kitchen table. Someone had made a minute-long recording earlier that night.
“It was a recording of what I believe took place that night,” said Detective Heather Olsen on Friday, testifying during a preliminary hearing for Scott Pettigrew, a tenant who is accused of murdering Cowen last June. The hearing was the first time details of the killing have been made public.
Prosecutors also played the recording in court. A woman can be heard shouting over the sounds of an escalating scuffle. A second voice is unintelligible, but police say they are confident that voice belongs to Pettigrew.
“Stay away from me!” the woman yells in the recording. “You b*****d! You b*****d! You b*****d!”
“Get out of here! Get out of here! Get off me!”
The recording then abruptly ends.
On the night of the killing, police responded to Cowen's house at the request of her relatives, who had heard a loud argument while on the phone with her earlier that evening. After discovering Cowen's body in the pool, the cops found Pettigrew casually lying in his bedroom, completely naked, with scratches on his back and fingers.
He was arrested at the scene.
In court on Friday, Pettigrew sat silent, wearing an orange jail jumpsuit and leg shackles. His attorney, Jake Devain, asked only a few questions while cross-examining police, mostly clarifying minor points of testimony. On multiple occasions, Devain focused his questioning on Cowen’s prior tenant, likely preparing to propose an alternative suspect if Pettigrew goes to trial at a later date.
Court documents have previously shown that Cowen attempted to have Pettigrew evicted, out of concerns for her safety.
Five days before her death, Cowen filed court paperwork asking a county judge to evict Pettigrew, who she said was on an escalating path of alarming behavior.
Cowen said Pettigrew had refused to pay rent, stolen all of her silverware, 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.
“I am being terrorized daily in my own home," Cowen said. "Escalating each day. I need help. I need a restraining order.”
In response, Superior Court Judge James Cox gave Cowen an eviction, but not the one she needed. He ordered Pettigrew's dogs out of the house, but said Pettigrew could stay as long as he remained 5 yards away from Cowen. Cox told Cowen and Pettigrew to come to a court hearing in two weeks where they could work out a permanent solution.
Four days later, Cowen was dead. Pettigrew was in jail. The court hearing came too late.

[BoSoxGal]

Because of landlord/tenant laws, this situation could've happened anywhere - it's a real risk taking on a housemate and you can end up living with a psycho who has protected tenant interests and must be afforded due process through the legal eviction process.

That's not so much to do with liberal California, many states have similar laws. Get a background check and references before opening your home to someone.

[rubato]

If she had a gun he would have used it to kill her.



yrs,
rubato

[liberty]

If she had a gun he would have used it to kill her.



yrs,
rubato

She was so much better off being beaten to death. After all, women can’t learn something as complicated as the effective use of weapons being the unstable emotional creatures they are.

[Lord Jim]

Am I missing something? Is there something in the article about her having been prevented from buying a gun?

[BoSoxGal]

No, it's just a typical liberty leap in logic.

And for the record, liberty, statistics show that guns in the home are more likely to be used in suicides, assaults, homicides or accidental shootings than in self defense.

Women are perfectly capable of learning to use firearms effectively but that isn't really relevant. Once you are living with a disturbed or violent person, you're more often than not better off without guns in the home, too. Beyond that, people who don't want to live with guns shouldn't have to live with guns.

[BoSoxGal]

Just read another story about this online; apparently she let him move in after he was evicted from his own residence following an 'altercation with a neighbor'. Not terribly wise. However, they were coworkers so perhaps she thought she knew him.

Never trust anyone, really. Being nice can get you killed, for sure.

[BoSoxGal]

This story says her neighbors observed frequent visits from the cops to the home having to do with disputes with boarders, and she'd apparently had a number of them. So maybe she wasn't the easiest landlady, or she had terrible judgment in choosing housemates.

linky

Anyway it's a sad story.

[BoSoxGal]

More details here

Apparently the murder was a year ago.

[oldr_n_wsr]

people who don't want to live with guns shouldn't have to live with guns.

Is there a law that says people must live with guns even when they don't want to?
I have only heard of laws where people who want to live with guns are prevented from doing so.

[Long Run]

And, fwiw, where the crime took place may have been in California, but it was not in the "liberal" part of California.

[rubato]

people who don't want to live with guns shouldn't have to live with guns.

Is there a law that says people must live with guns even when they don't want to?
I have only heard of laws where people who want to live with guns are prevented from doing so.

And where is that? In the United States. AFAIK there is no state where I cannot buy a .44 magnum revolver or any caliber rifle I want.



yrs,
rubato

[BoSoxGal]

I don't see oldr's posts but since it was quoted, my answer is this: the OP is clearly insinuating that the lack of a gun was the cause of this woman's death. That she should have had a gun if she wanted to live. I reject that premise entirely; people should not have to arm themselves if they don't choose to and their deaths at murderous hands should not be scoffed at or ridiculed because of that. Plain. Simple.

[dales]

And where is that? In the United States. AFAIK there is no state where I cannot buy a .44 magnum revolver or any caliber rifle I want.



yrs,
rubato

.44 magnum?

The recoil would knock you on your azz.

After the "dirty harry' movies, scores of dunderheads wanted the S&W .44 revolver like Harry Callahan had.
They found out it was not a fun gun to shoot due to its hellish recoil. Many were returned and for as short time the prices declined as the demand had somewhat slackened.

But why such a puny caliber?

The S&W 500 series is what you want, rube.

[Bicycle Bill]

The Smith & Wesson SW500:

          ▲▲
That's not a gun.
Now THIS is a gun!
          ▼▼


-"BB"-

[Jarlaxle]

And where is that? In the United States. AFAIK there is no state where I cannot buy a .44 magnum revolver or any caliber rifle I want.



yrs,
rubato

.44 magnum?

The recoil would knock you on your azz.

After the "dirty harry' movies, scores of dunderheads wanted the S&W .44 revolver like Harry Callahan had.
They found out it was not a fun gun to shoot due to its hellish recoil. Many were returned and for as short time the prices declined as the demand had somewhat slackened.

But why such a puny caliber?

The S&W 500 series is what you want, rube.

44 Mag isn't bad...yeah, the .500 has a hell of a kick. (And wear double ear protection!)

[rubato]

"...

.44 magnum?

The recoil would knock you on your azz.

... "

I fired a Ruger Blackhawk .44 mag and a .45 colt snub nose on the same day and the latter was much harder to shoot based on how close I was to the target. Mind you, I was not close with either one. Fun though.

But I agree the .44 magnum is difficult to shoot and I would not even try a .50 cal. handgun.


yrs,
rubato

[Jarlaxle]

Just takes practice. With a bit of practice, an 80lb woman can shoot a hot .44 Magnum. (Which reminds me, I need to load more ammo.)

[RayThom]

Way back when, my objects of "male enhancement" consisted of large convertibles, muscle cars, and one of my firearms of choice was a S&W, 8 3/8", Nickel, Model 29-2, 44. Mag. When I would go to the gun range it was so loud and spit so much lead that shooters on both sides were forced to stand back. When the club was crowded the RSO often limited my time to a 50 round box of ammo.

I could shoot it fairly accurately with one hand for six rounds -- maybe twelve on a good day. After that I would end up with a slight physical tremor in my wrist and fingers and I then needed two hands to maintain accuracy. It was "guy fun" while it lasted. I started looking at life differently after the birth of my daughter and sold most of my toys on my last day as a club member over 25 years ago.

I now target shoot two or three times a year with more "standard" handguns and rifles just to stay familiar with them. Ironically, my daughter (BTW, a radiologist) who is now living with her police officer SO is taking up target shooting as a hobby. The culture of firearms is here to stay. As longs as safety is the number one priority I have no problem with it.

[oldr_n_wsr]

I reject that premise entirely; people should not have to arm themselves if they don't choose to and their deaths at murderous hands should not be scoffed at or ridiculed because of that. Plain. Simple.

And again, where are they forced to?
The debate that had she been armed, she might still be alive can go either way with each side not making a dent in the opinion of the other.
No scoffing on my part, merely a question.
The opening post may be sarcastic in it's tone but it makes the point that the law (restaining orders, judicial policies, police....) is not much of a deterant. That they are a small obsticle to a determined nut case.
I think the sarcasm (or scoffing) was aimed more at the law and what it cannot do rather than this paricular situation (which is terrible, but sadly happens too often).

AFAIK there is no state where I cannot buy a .44 magnum revolver or any caliber rifle I want.

Try and get a pistol license on LI or in NYC. And you do need the permit in order to buy.
Even harder, try and get a carry permit. (next to impossible unless you happened to get a bribe in to the guys who just got busted for accepting bribes to issue pistol/cary permits in the city ).
And as far as I know, NY does not recognise any carry permits from any other states.