The murder of Dr Amie Harwick

Liv

1 year ago

Amie Harwick was a marriage and family therapist, as well as a sex therapist and writer. She was 38 when she was murdered in Los Angeles on February 15, 2020 by her ex-boyfriend Gareth Pursehouse.

As some background into Amie, she was born Amie Nicole on May 20, 1981. Amie was adopted when she was 11 months old and her parents are Tom and Penny Harwick. Amie has a brother, Chris.

Penny spoke about how Amie reacted when they adopted Chris.

“She was OK with it for a couple of weeks. And then she said, “Well, when is he going back?” (laughs) … And I said, “Well, he’s not. He’s your brother. He’s gonna be here forever.”

Amie was raised in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. She graduated with North Penn’s High School’s Class of 1999. Amie moved to Los Angeles after she graduated – she moved when she was 20 in 2001. She completed her undergraduate studies at California Polytechnic State University. She went on to receive her Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University. She also obtained her Doctorate of Human Sexuality from the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality.

Amie’s family have said that she loved music, including Tori Amos, Depeche Mode and Christine Perri.

Amie had many hobbies and interests. She did some modelling, wrote a book called The New Sex Bible for Women: The Complete Guide to Sexual Self-Awareness and Intimacy and created podcasts. She also loved exercise and released a training video. She loved horror movies and taxidermy. Her family and friends said that Amie was quirky and fun.

Amie’s favorite food included cookies, cheesesteaks, pork roll and Lebanon bologna.

Amie also had a cat at the time of her death – Marquis de Chat.

At the time of her death, Amie was well known in her community in West Hollywood. She had just started working with Pineapple Support, which is an organization of sex-work positive mental health professionals. The organization was started after there were many suicides within the adult industry. “She really, really wanted to help society, and she had so many great ideas to reach out to underserved communities,” said L.A. sex therapist Moushumi Ghose.

Amie had a website that has now been removed, but according to that site, she worked with clients who suffered from a range of conditions, including “anxiety, depression, sexually exploited teenagers, juvenile sex offenders, children with trauma, court-mandated adults, divorce, sexual identity issues, chronic pain, sex addiction, bipolar disorder, displaced adolescents, and domestic violence.

In terms of Amie’s relationship history, after high school, she met a man named Tommy Decker. He was a drummer from Los Angeles and she met him at a local concert. The two began dating long distance. This relationship was what prompted Amie to move to Los Angeles. Amie and Tommy would marry and then divorce after three years.

Around 2009 Amie started dating a man named Gareth Pursehouse. They met at a Hollywood party where she was working as a hostess to pay her way through school.

“He was very loud, fun, smiley,” said Grace Stanley, Harwick’s friend. “He was one of the night life photographers. It was very clear that he was taken by her. Because he would always want to take a lot of pictures of her.”

Rudy Torres, Amie’s friend spoke about his initial impression of Gareth. “If you would meet him you would think he’s charming. A little goofy. Kinda dorky.”

They dated for around 18 months before things went sour.

“Amie and Gareth lived together, and he was very possessive over her,” said Marcy Mendoza, Amie’s friend. “He wanted to know where she was at, at all times. Who was she with? He was always checking her phone.”

Amie ended up taking out multiple restraining orders on Gareth, with the first being filed in 2011.

She got a temporary restraining order that year but apparently did not attend a follow-up hearing at the Superior Court branch in Van Nuys and the order was dismissed “for lack of prosecution,” an electronic docket shows.

Another was filed in 2012. In April that year, there was a hearing on whether to extend the protective order. Both Amie and Gareth gave evidence.

According to the New York Daily News, Amie alleged that there were “multiple arguments in which Gareth Pursehouse choked me, suffocated me, pushed me against walls, kicked me, dropped me to the ground with force, force-restrained me, slammed my head into the ground, and punched me with a closed fist.” Amie filed the first order after she claimed he pushed her from a car. She wrote that he broke into her apartment multiple times, including one occasion in which he “smashed ten picture frames on [her] door” and told her, “Things will get worse.” The day after, Gareth reportedly returned to apologize, taping about four dozen roses to the entrance of Amie’s house.

The judge granted Amie’s request for protection.

Despite the protective orders, Gareth continued to stalk Amie. Amie told friends that she believed Gareth had broken into her new apartment.,

“It was very specific. Photo frames were smashed,” Grace said. “And her laptop was wiped clean.”

“She tried going to police, and they said, ‘Well, there’s no proof that it was him,’” Marcy said. “She was terrified.”

A friend of Amie’s told KTLA that Gareth “was a constant thing that she talked about, that she was afraid of this particular guy, and it was always something that kind of followed her. It scared her enough to tell friends that, gee, I think I should get some mace or pepper spray.”

“He kept finding her, kept seeking her out,” her friend Hernando Chaves told PEOPLE. “He didn’t respect the end of the relationship.”

“She really was worried at that point,” said Amie’s friend, Robert Coshland. “She said, ‘If anything happens to me, it’s him.’”

Rudy told KABC that Gareth was a “stalker,” adding “When they broke up he didn’t take it well at all. He’d do stupid stuff and say stupid stuff. You’d tell him, ‘Move on dude, leave her alone.’ And he wouldn’t.”

The protective order expired in 2015.

In terms of background for Gareth, he worked as a photographer, as well as a software engineer and developer.

In the summer of 2017, Amie met comedian Drew Carey at a party.

Drew posted a photo of them together on Instagram with the caption: “The face of a lottery winner (L).” The couple became engaged within a year of meeting.

By 2018 though, the couple had split and called off their engagement. Their split was said to be amicable.

On January 16, 2020, Amie ran into Gareth at a public event, the XBiz Adult Film Awards. The event was being held at the JW Marriott in Los Angeles. She was an attendee and he had been assigned to photograph the event. The event was hosted by Stormy Daniels.

“Amie hadn’t seen Gareth in eight years. And when she was on the red carpet, she noticed him taking photos,” her friend Robert said. “When he saw her, he made a beeline for her, and started yelling and screaming at the top of his lungs, ‘You ruined my life!’”

Amie’s mother Penny spoke about the incident. “He called her a bitch and … he told her she ruined his life … And she just told me how afraid she was, because … he was crying … and causing a huge scene. And she said, “Mom, I went into therapist mode. I just tried to calm him.”

Amie tried to calm Gareth down for an hour. She left the event very worried and stressed.

Some of Amie’s friends have spoken to the media about the situation. Hernando Chaves said “It was the absolute worst possible luck,” he said, and the meeting with Gareth seemed to “reignite his obsessive preoccupation with her.” Another friend, Vera Duffy, said Amie had recounted that when Gareth saw her, he “just went ballistic. He lost it. He made a scene. She was very scared. … She said, ‘What am I going to do? I let my roommate know, I have home security.” Vera said.

Adult film actress Jasmin St, Clair said “Gareth knew Amie was going to be at XBiz. He stalked her there and went batshit crazy… his behavior was abusive and threatening. He was yelling and screaming. Amie told me after the incident that she was scared he would show up at her home. She went to the police, but they did not take it seriously. He was really obsessive over her, controlling.”

The District Attorney, Victor Avila would later speak about the incident. “Eight years by happenstance they bumped into each other. He goes into this angry emotional tailspin and tells her she ruined his life.”

Amie’s friends have said that Gareth became angry after Amie rebuffed his attempts to get in touch with her after they ran into each other at the awards.

This is content from a voicemail that Gareth left Amie. I have so much I need to say. Please give me a chance to just say it. … Please (crying) please.

Amie sent texts to friends and an email to herself, outlining that she was scared of Gareth.

“He kept texting her. He left voicemails. Like just crying,” Grace said. “And eventually she just had to block him. And again, she was fearful for her safety.”

Just before Valentine’s Day 2020, Amie made this post on her instagram.

On February 14, 2020, Amie went to a burlesque show with friends. She left her home at around 7pm. Amie was living with a flatmate, Michael Herman.

Michael spoke to the media about what happened.

He said that he remembered waking up at around 9pm as he heard a sound. “Michael told us that he thought Amie came home and dropped a dish or a glass or a plate or something,” LAPD Homicide Detective Scott Masterson said. “He didn’t think much of it.”

Police think that this is the time that Gareth broke the front doors and entered the house to wait for Amie. A man matching Gareth’s description was seen on a neighbor’s camera. The man was wearing gloves and a cap. He approached the camera and moved it.

“It shows his premeditation and his planning the event,” Detective Masterson said. “Has he been there before? Most likely. Because he knew exactly where he was going to hop the fence.”

Police believe that Gareth laid in Amie’s bed, waiting for her to come home.

When Amie got home just after 1am, Gareth attacked.

“I remember thinking like this is so much worse than any horror movie I’ve ever seen,” Michael said. “I just was, uh, woken up by screaming … like bloodcurdling scream … And I yelled up, you know, ‘Amie!’ And I heard choking right after that.”

Michael was in a downstairs bedroom when the attack happened.

He said “I knew — I knew for a fact there was somebody up there after that. … I’m trying to listen … you don’t know for sure what’s going on … Was he acting alone? Was there more than one person? … I start rushing to look for my phone.”

He could not find his phone to call for help. Michael ran to a neighbor’s home to get help, but nobody answered the door. There is CCTV of him knocking, trying to get help.

Detective Masterson spoke about the attack. “ She … walks into her bedroom … And I think she just froze in shock and fear. … and the one thing that was on the bed was her phone. So, I think she actually … threw her phone at him and turned and started to run out of the bedroom. … And she’s screaming. … and they’re fighting and they’re wrestling.”

Michael found someone on the street and used their phone to call 911.

“I was downstairs. I heard screaming. I know she’s being attacked. I heard her going to the ground,” Michael told 911 dispatchers.

Gareth was seen on camera climbing over Amie’s fence and running away.

The address of their home was 2086 Mound Street.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2086-Mound-St-Los-Angeles-CA-90068/20804508_zpid

Police got to the home at around 1am. Amie was found on the ground outside the house, under a third-floor balcony. She had fallen around 20 feet.

She had defensive wounds on her hands and arms. The glass doors in the front yard were broken. Black beads from her crucifix necklace were scattered about her room. A syringe filled with a liquid was found on her balcony.

Amie was taken to hospital where she passed away hours later. At the time of Amie’s death, it was reported that she had significant injuries ‘consistent with a fall.’ The LAPD said “The investigation revealed possible evidence of a struggle in the upstairs as well as forced entry to the residence. A canvass of the area located further evidence of an intruder (suspect) entering the property and leaving after the murder.”

This is the completed medical examiner entry for Amie’s death:

Around the time of Amie’s death, Gareth was active on social media.

He was tweeting about politics on February 14. He wrote, “I can’t figure out why gerrymandering isn’t a federal crime,” and commented on Attorney General Bill Barr’s ABC interview about President Trump’s tweets interfering with his job by saying, “Then why isn’t Barr prosecuting Trump for impeding justice?” He tweeted anti-Trump comments frequently in the weeks before his arrest, including a February 12 tweet saying, “Reminder… Once Trump is not president, the FBI can prosecute him for all the Mueller report findings…”

His last tweet which was made on the day of Amie’s murder, was in response to a comedian. The comedian said that he had received 400,000 views on his latest YouTube video in less than a week. Gareth tweeted ‘ I’ve been special since I was five. No views.’

He also tweeted that day “You can’t get fit without that new gym clothing. But they won’t give you that gear until you’re fit. Soo … Tough t*tties bucko.”

Police initially believed that the syringe they found at the scene was filled with heroin.

During the investigation, FBI analysis showed that the syringe found in Amie’s home was filled with liquid nicotine. This poison is difficult to detect in someone’s system.

“Gareth’s overall plan would have been to inject her and have Amie pass away, and nobody would have been the wiser,” Detective Masterson said.

The autopsy revealed that Amie was never injected with the poison.

“So now it appears he couldn’t inject her,” CBS reporter Leyna Nguyen said. “His plan failed. And he resorted to violence.”

“He grabs her and rips the necklace off her neck,” Detective Masterson added. “Gareth is choking her. She’s fighting for her life. I believe he picks her up … he walked to the balcony edge and just dropped her to the bottom of the patio.”

Gareth ended up being arrested just 14 hours after Amie’s death.

Police have spoken about his arrest.

Detective Masterson said “ You could tell he was playing the old, what’s this about, why do you wanna talk, who, uh — oh yeah, I know Amie, sure, yeah. …He, basically, was saying I’ve been at home.”

Gareth had a black eye and he told police that it happened during a home renovation accident.

Detective Masterson said “I think you better get a contractor. … if you get a hold of a power tool, you’re gonna be in real trouble.”

He was arrested on suspicion of murder. He was released under a $2m bond. He was re-arrested and officially charged with murder a few days later as well as a count of first-degree residential burglary, with the special circumstance of lying wait, making him eligible for the death penalty.

“He had scratches on his neck, chest, arms,” Detective Masterson said. “He had a large bruise on the inside of his bicep. Looked like, to me, a bite mark.”

“The theory is that once Gareth Pursehouse was blocked, detectives believe he prepared and began planning her death,” DA Avila said. “All these actions show he was going to, in a way, punish her for rejecting him. And that he thought about how to do it.”

“I think Gareth decided to do this on Valentine’s Day on purpose,” deputy district attorney Catherine Mariano said. “I think Gareth decided to kill Amie Harwick on a day that symbolized love and couples. And I think it was poetic justice in his opinion.”

Michael has spoken about the survivor’s guilt that he has dealt with since Amie’s death.

She’s gone and I’m still here,” said Michael

“Oh, my goodness,” Penny said. “He did the exact right thing.”

Amie’s dad Tom added, “He made all the right decisions.”

After Amie passed away, Drew Carey made a statement to the media. “Amie and I had a love that people are lucky to have once in a lifetime. She was a positive force in the world, a tireless and unapologetic champion for women, and passionate about her work as a therapist.”

“After Amie’s murder, I took a week off. Really, I couldn’t function,” Drew said. “My first day back we taped the high school show for ‘Kids Week.’ It was all high school kids. It was my very first show back, and everybody knew what happened to me. And so I took time during the break to talk to these kids.”

“I wish he never did it. I wish he never met her.”. He added, “I really try to practice instant forgiveness and unconditional love. The closest you can get to that, the better you are.”

“She did everything she could do to protect herself, and this person still sought her out and was violent toward her,” Amie’s friend Hernando said. “That is what people I hope are going to see — not the sensationalism of her dating Drew Carey or being a ‘Hollywood sex therapist’… but that our system is not protecting women.”

On April 16, 2020, Gareth pleaded not guilty to the charges.

His trial began in August 2023. The DA Victor Avila told the court. “Dr. Amie Harwick was murdered by defendant, Gareth Pursehouse, because he was obsessed with her. He strangled her. … lifted her up over the balcony and dropped her to her death.”

Amie’s parents sat through every second of the trial.

Gareth’s defense attorney Evan Franzel said that Gareth had been sent into a ‘ deep debilitating depression’ after his January 2020 encounter with Amie. He told the court that Gareth went to Amie’s home with his intention being to talk to her.

Gareth’s attorney also told the court that his client had intended to kill himself with the nicotine syringe.

The trial ran for ten days. The prosecution and defense argued about if Gareth had intended to kill Amie or not.

In the state’s closing arguments, the email that Amie had sent to herself about Gareth was read out. “Tonight, I felt very scared … Gareth came up behind me and started screaming. I’m pretty nervous that I’m more on his radar now. It terrifies me that he’s obsessed with me for nine years, thinks about me every day… He’s focused on harming me.”

Jurors had three choices: murder in the first degree, murder in the second degree, or the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter.

They ended up finding Gareth guilty of first-degree murder with the special circumstance of lying in wait.

He ended up being sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.