California man felt 'good' after killing drug-addicted mom with a tomahawk and disemboweling her

A California man admitted he killed his drug-addicted mother with a tomahawk -- and he said he felt "good" afterward.

Omar Mark Pettigen was arraigned Tuesday on murder charges at the Fremont Hall of Justice, and court documents described details about the brutal Sept. 28 slaying and its disturbing aftermath, reported the San Francisco Chronicle.

The 31-year-old Pettigen said his mother, Nailah Pettigen, was addicted to oxycodone from hip and knee problems, and he said she pointed a gun at him while sitting in bed.

Pettigen said he picked up a hammer and knocked the gun out of her hand and then grabbed a tomahawk hanging in the hallway and struck her head with the ax.

He told detectives she might have still been alive when he returned with a revolver and shot her at least four times and then slit open her abdomen with a knife.

An autopsy revealed that the 64-year-old Pettigen, a retired special education teacher at American High School, had been shot six times in the back and then sliced open from her chin to her cervix.

Pettigen said he picked up her heart before placing it back inside her body, police said.

Detectives said Pettigen told them he then masturbated because “he needed to be with himself and needed a release after the event," and then he went to drink beer with a friend in San Francisco.

“I asked how he felt about his actions and he said, ‘good,’” said Detective Craig Gaches, of Fremont police. “During the interview, Omar did not show signs of remorse by crying or being upset in any way.”

His mother's body was discovered the following day by police conducing a welfare check requested by her ex-husband.

Saladen Pettigen said he had been unable to reach his son or ex-wife to pray over the phone, as the family usually did.

Family members said Omar Pettigen, who remains held without bond, and his mother had been arguing often before the slaying.

Relatives said his behavior was noticeably different after returning several months ago from Morocco.

Watch this video report posted online by KRON-TV: