Disclaimer: The article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
On February 15, 2020, authorities discovered renowned therapist Amie Harwick unresponsive at her house in Hollywood Hills. According to the reports, police officers in Los Angeles got to her home after someone found the therapist lying on the ground. Harwick was checked into a hospital for treatment. However, the therapist succumbed to her injuries at a medical facility not long after. During the investigation, police alleged that her ex-boyfriend, Gareth Pursehouse, was involved in the murder.
According to CBS News, Harwick was celebrating Valentine’s Day with her friends when someone entered her house. They skipped the Burlesque party and went to the Nomad for tea. After reaching her driveway, the therapist texted her friend about the photos they had taken while having tea. However, as soon as she entered her house, an unknown assailant attacked her.
Her roommate, who was sleeping on the ground floor of Harwick’s house, woke up by her screams. He managed to find some help and called 911. Even though the authorities took her to a medical facility, she couldn’t survive.
CBS News reported that they found strong evidence when authorities investigated her house. Shortly after her death, police apprehended Pursehouse and charged him with Amie Harwick’s murder. Pursehouse pleaded not guilty to the charge. In September 2021, a preliminary hearing took place in the case, and two years later, in September 2023, the jury found Pursehouse guilty of the slaying of Amie Harwick. The court sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
As per California’s Department of Corrections, Gareth Pursehouse is currently serving his sentence at the Wasco State Prison, California.
What happened to Amie Harwick?
After authorities took Amie Harwick to the Cedar Sinai Medical Center Hospital, the doctors pronounced her dead a couple of hours later. As per the autopsy, Harwick died because of blunt force injuries to the head and torso. Deadline reported that she suffered those injuries after falling from the third-floor balcony. Citing the report, the publication also mentioned that the medical examiner found “evidence of manual strangulation.”
People Magazine reported that Harwick “fought for her life” before the assailant strangled her and threw her off the balcony. Authorities took the investigation forward and found a syringe filled with liquid, per CBS News. Following this, police called one of Harwick’s best friends for interrogation and got to know about Pursehouse’s history of violence. During the interrogation, the authorities got to know that Pursehouse physically abused Amie Harwick when they were in a relationship.
Harwick’s friend also told the investigators that the therapist acquired two restraining orders against Pursehouse after filing various domestic violence complaints. This information played a crucial role in making this case a homicide investigation. During the trial, the prosecution team noted that Pursehouse’s obsession with Harwick made him take such a drastic decision. Subsequently, the defense team suggested that Gareth Pursehouse had no intention of killing her. Instead, he wanted to kill himself that night.
Harwick also testified during the trial
During the closing arguments, the prosecution team read an email that Amie Harwick wrote to herself after meeting Pursehouse at an event. In the email, she stated that Pursehouse was “focused” on hurting her. After the closing arguments, the jury deliberated for two days and convicted Gareth Pursehouse for the murder of Amie Harwick. As a result, the court sentenced him to prison for life without the possibility of parole.
The case of Amie Harwick’s murder was featured in an episode of CBS’s 48 Hours. The episode is available for streaming on Paramount+.
