Where is Mansa Musa Muhummed now? Details explored ahead of Girl in the Garage: The Laura Cowan Story on Lifetime
The account of Laura Cowan, a Cleveland woman who struggled against the severe physical and se*ual abuse she endured at the hands of her husband, Mansa Musa Muhummed, and yet managed to preserve her own life and her kids, is the subject of the upcoming Lifetime film Girl in the Garage: The Laura Cowan Story. The film will air on Lifetime on January 18 at 8 p.m.
As per Los Angeles Daily News, on June 11, 2008, a jury convicted Muhummed of seven counts of torture, two counts of false imprisonment, five charges of corporal injury on a spouse, and 11 counts of child endangerment.
Mansa Musa Muhummed was sentenced to seven life terms in prison in 2009 for torturing his wife and kids. He remains incarcerated in a California prison. The prison's precise name is unknown.
Mansa Musa Muhummed was arrested in 1999 because of Laura Cowan's 13-page letter
As per reports by the LA Times, Mansa Musa Muhummed, a Virginia resident, came to California and converted to Islam. He never lived in one place and always switched his whereabouts, living in vans and small apartments.
As per the same outlet, he often beat his family members with boat oars, hoses, and electrical cords. Muhummed would also organize fights between his boys. According to his children, would "eat like a king" and would make other family individuals starve. The latter would even punish his family members if they tried to sneak in and steal extra ration.
As per AETV, in 1995, Laura Cowan was manipulated into entering a polygamous marriage with Muhummed. Muhummed at that time had 12 children and another wife. A few years after marrying Cowan, he married a third woman and had more children.
In 1998, Muhummed imprisoned Laura Cowan and her children in a darkened garage. As per AETV, Laura Cowan and her children were physically abused at that time and Cowan was se*ually abused.
Laura Cowan, struggling with her children, found an old legal pad in the garage. She wrote all the details about her husband’s torture and was able to hand over the 13-page letter to a postal worker in 1999. After the authorities got hold of the letter, they came and arrested Muhummed in 1999, at his family’s home in rural Aguanga in Riverside County.
Mansa Musa Muhummed's trial was delayed for nearly a decade
Although Mansa Musa Muhummed was arrested in 1999, the trial was delayed for years. In 2009, Muhummed did not plead guilty to any of the charges against him in court. He said :
“I made mistakes, but they know how I looked after them their whole lives. I tried to keep them together. My family never suffered the way they say they did.”
However, based on witness testimonials and evidence, the judge gave Muhummed a life sentence for each of the 7 counts of torture and he will not be eligible for parole for at least 65 years as per LA Times.
Riverside County Superior Court Judge F. Paul Dickerson III, opined on Muhummed's crimes and his not pleading guilty, stating:
"Mr. Muhummed showed no remorse and accepted no responsibility for his twisted behavior, and the court is sending the strongest message possible."
Watch Girl in the Garage: The Laura Cowan Story, on Lifetime, to learn more about this case.
