Drew Carey’s ex-fiancée’s ‘stalker’ murderer jailed for life
After a two-day jury deliberation, the killer of Drew Carey’s ex-fiancée has been caged for life.
Drew Carey’s ex-fiancée’s murderer has been caged for life.
The 65-year-old comic’s former partner Amie Harwick, 38, was strangled before falling to her death from a third floor balcony, and her ex-boyfriend Gareth Pursehouse was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Wednesday (06.12.23) for her February 2020 murder.
The 45-year-old was found guilty of first-degree murder of sex therapist Amie in September after a jury deliberated for two days.
Prosecutors accused him of breaking into Drew’s ex-fiancée’s Los Angeles home on 15 February, 2020, and waiting for her to return before he attacked her.
Pursehouse then strangled the prominent marriage and sex counsellor and threw her off the balcony of her third floor.
An autopsy from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office determined she died from “blunt force injuries of the head and torso” and there was evidence of “manual strangulation”.
During his trial, prosecutors argued Pursehouse was not able to get over his relationship with Amie – which lasted around 18 months and ended years before her murder.
The ‘New Sex Bible for Women’ writer tried to take out two restraining orders on Pursehouse and initially got a temporary restraining order against him in 2011.
But it was dismissed after she didn’t show up to a follow-up hearing in court.
Nine months later in April 2012, Amie was granted a request for protection, however, the order expired two weeks before her death.
Her friend Rudy Torres told KABC in 2020: “He was a stalker. 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.”
Amie was engaged to Drew in 2018 and the couple reportedly had an “amicable split”.
After her death, the comedian fought back tears as he paid tribute to his late ex, saying on his ‘Drew Carey’s Friday Night Freak-Out’ radio show: “She was beautiful and fun, and cared deeply about people and improving their lives and was just a joy to be around. And I was so in love with her.”
Drew added Amie had been “deathly afraid” of Pursehouse, even when they were dating.
He added: “I just want to say, I’m so broken up. Even after we broke up, we still loved each other very much.
“Even though we broke up the engagement, I was still so in love with her. And she loved me back.”
