'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
45-year-old Gareth Pursehouse, celebrity therapist Amie Harwick's ex-boyfriend, has been convicted of murdering her in September 2023. The sentencing hearing took place on December 6, 2023, when Pursehouse was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for Amie's tragic death. He was accused of stalking the Hollywood s*x therapist for about a decade.
The convicted man was also abusive in the relationship, and it was further established after Amie filed two restraining orders in 2011 and 2012 against him. The victim's friends revealed that she had to work hard to get over the trauma caused by the relationship with Gareth Pursehouse.
Gareth Pursehouse has been sentenced to life imprisonment for killing his ex-girlfriend, Amie Harwick, a Hollywood s*x therapist, back in 2020
The incident can be traced back to February 15, 2020, after Harwich was found unresponsive at her house in Los Angeles. She was taken to the hospital, where she lost her life. According to an investigation by the police, it was revealed that the victim was strangled and tossed off the third floor. Then, authorities considered Gareth Pursehouse the suspect and arrested him the next day.
Pursehouse, however, was released after he posted a bond of $2 million. He was further charged with murder with the exceptional circumstance of 'lying in wait', breaking, and home burglary. In April 2020, he pleaded not guilty, and his trial began in August 2023. Finally, in September, he was found guilty of first-degree murder in connection to Amie Harwick's murder.
Victor Avila, the deputy district attorney, told PEOPLE magazine:
"The evidence showed [Pursehouse] was obsessed with Amie Harwick. He felt entitled to her."
According to prosecutors, Pursehouse planned to kill the victim after they ended their relationship a long time back. They also claimed that he was "obsessed" with Amie Harwick.
Amie died of blunt force injuries after Gareth Pursehouse strangled and punched her
Prosecutors shed light on the chain of events that transpired in February 2020. They stated that Gareth Pursehouse broke into the victim's place and waited for her. After getting a hold of Amie, he strangled and punched her. He then tossed her off the balcony of her apartment. Authorities arrived at the site after someone called the cops and reported hearing a woman's screams.
The Guardian reported that when law enforcement arrived at Harwick's house, she was alive. She soon died after being taken to the hospital. An autopsy was conducted that revealed that the therapist died after sustaining blunt force trauma to the torso and head. Evidence of manual strangulation was also recovered in the autopsy.
The victim's friends revealed that she allegedly told them that she became a therapist after living her personal experiences. Robert Coshland, Amie's best friend, said:
"She was an outspoken advocate for women. She would talk about these kinds of statistics about women being injured and killed by boyfriends. She became a statistic of something she actively talked about and lectured and helped people with all the time. It’s just doubly, triply tragic."
Her family has further expressed gratitude to the judge for bringing justice for Amie.
