Key details about therapist Amie Harwick's death

High-profile s*x therapist Amie Harwick was reportedly found unconscious on her home patio about 20 feet beneath her third-floor Hollywood Hills apartment in the early morning hours of the day after Valentine's Day in 2020.

She was then rushed to the hospital where she died, a few hours later, of fatal blunt force injuries that she incurred from the fall.

Upon further examination, it was revealed that she had allegedly been in a physical altercation with an intruder, who first strangled her and then pushed her off the balcony.

There was enough evidence found at the crime scene and witness reports which straight-away led authorities to an obsessed ex-boyfriend, Gareth Pursehouse. He was then charged with her murder and is currently awaiting trial.

Amie Harwick's death was a shock to many, including popular names in the industry along with her former fiance and game show host Drew Carey. Some say her death remains suspicious to date irrespective of the prosecution's case against Pursehouse. However, the investigation did reveal some intense details about the therapist's life.

Here are some key facts about her strange death ahead of CBS' upcoming 48 Hours episode, titled The Final Hours of Amie Harwick, set to air this Saturday, September 3, 2022, at 8 pm ET.

1) Amie Harwick had a nightout with friends before suspicious death

Amie arrived at the Globe Theater with a group of friends where another friend, burlesque diva Miss Tosh, was putting on a show with artists honoring the occasion on Valentine's Day.

Amie was reportedly wearing a rosary beaded necklace which would later be used as crucial evidence in her death. They missed the afterparty, went to the Nomad and stayed there until after midnight.

Authorities claim that minutes after 1 am, Amie was violently assaulted as she made her way up to her third-floor bedroom shortly after entering her house, possibly by someone who had been awaiting her arrival. A 911 call was placed at 1:14 am.

2) She intended on reconciling with ex-fiance Drew Carey

Amie Harwick reportedly texted her ex-fiance, Drew Carey, two days before she was brutally attacked at her Hollywood Hills home, wanting to reconnect as friends.

The two met in 2017 and were romantically involved for quite some time before breaking it off due to complications. Carey even introduced her on his game show, The Price is Right, as his fiance.

Drew Carey told 48 hours that:

"Valentine's Day was a Friday. I got a text from her on Thursday. [She] said, 'Hey, I know we haven't talked in a while, but I've been doing a lot of thinking about, you know, forgiveness, and I would love to get together with you and talk.' And I said, 'Yeah, I would love to do that. I love you.'"

The two had been out of touch for about 18 months when Harwick sent him the text. The former couple, however, couldn't reconcile given that she was murdered 48 hours after their last conversation.

3) Harwick was an alleged victim of domestic violence

About ten years before she was murdered, Amie Harwick was dating an aspiring photographer and engineer named Gareth Pursehouse. The couple had a contentious relationship. Amie ended the abusive relationship, but soon claimed that she feared her ex.

One of her friends even mentioned Amie Harwick's fear while speaking of her past experience with abuse:

"She was afraid of this particular guy, and it was always something that kind of followed her."

Amie had even requested restraining orders against him twice during that time. Further, court records also mentioned the brutal abuse she had to endure for years before the restraining orders were placed.

But Harwick channeled all her fear into fueling her career and fulfilling her wishes to those suffering from similar situations like hers. She was highly concerned about domestic violence issues and assisted many of her clients who had been s*xually abused.

Drew Carey told 48 Hours:

"She cared so much about helping people. That was her life's purpose. She just wanted to help people. Especially women."

He added:

"You can't be a person in this country and not know a woman who hasn't been a victim of domestic violence. You just can't. And it's really a problem that not enough people acknowledge."

4) The roommate heard strange noises from Amie's room

Amie Harwick's roommate, Michael Herman, was sound asleep on the first floor when he heard what he thought was a dish breaking on the floor above him. Amy was out with her friends for the night at the time. He went back to sleep upon believing it was Amie upstairs.

Herman woke up again to weird noises, but this time by the sound of Amie crying for help. Unable to locate his phone, he shouted up the stairs to frighten the attacker away before running outdoors.

After struggling to find help for a while, he finally spotted someone on the street with a phone that he used to place a 911 call at 1:14 am.

5) Amie Harwick accidentally encountered abusive ex after years

One of Amie's fellow therapists and friends, Hernando Chaves, reportedly claimed that Harwick had run in with her abusive ex Gareth Pursehouse at the XBiz adult film awards held in Los Angeles, hosted by Stormy Daniels, in January 2020. Chaves stated that "it was the absolute worst possible luck."

Another friend, Vera Duffy, claimed that upon their accidental encounter, Pursehouse, who was working as a photographer at the event, "just went ballistic. He lost it. He made a scene."

Adult film actress and Amie Harwick's friend Jasmin St. Clair reportedly said:

"He stalked her there and went batsh*t 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."

Catch more about Amie Harwick's strange murder case on CBS' 48 Hours this Saturday, September 3, at 8 pm ET.