Death of Amie Harwick Profiled by ’48 Hours’ as Accused Killer Awaits Trial

Tony Di Domizio and Keith Heffintrayer•

Tuesday marks two years since the gruesome murder of beloved high-profile family and sex therapist Amie Harwick – a former Montgomery Township resident and North Penn High School graduate – who was thrown from her third-floor bedroom balcony of her Los Angeles home in the early morning of Feb. 15, 2020.

There is a lot that has changed in those two years. Nearly two years after his arrest, an allegedly obsessive ex-boyfriend and aspiring comedian named Gareth Pursehouse was ordered Sept. 30, 2021 to stand trial for her murder and faces the death penalty. Police released information on the investigation, including how Pursehouse’s DNA was allegedly found under Harwick’s fingernails. Also, blood, a trail of broken Rosary beads, and a nicotine-filled syringe found on the balcony have all been revealed as evidence in the case against Pursehouse.

There is a lot, on the contrary, that has remained the same over two years, namely grief and justice. The pain of Harwick’s loss by family and friends is still very much evident, as shown in interviews during Saturday evening’s “48 Hours” newsmagazine broadcast on CBS titled “The Final Hours of Amie Harwick.”

Watch the “The Final Hours of Amie Harwick” here and read more articles about the case.

In the program, there are accounts of happiness and love and regret from former fiancé Drew Carey and cherished close friends, both in Hollywood Hills and here at home, like former North Wales Borough resident and North Penn classmate Sharon Little, a blues/soul and pop singer-songwriter signed to CBS Records. Little first met Harwick in 10^th Grade in the girl’s bathroom at school. It would end up being the place where they would do makeup together and skip class, per the “48 Hours” report.

When Little reserved herself to the bathroom to cry over the death of a close friend, Harwick consoled her.

“She saw me crying and just held me. I felt she knew exactly what I was feeling,” Little said.

The main focus of the “48 Hours” report is the shared resentment and disgust against Pursehouse, someone who, as Harwick’s friends allege, had the motive and drive and obsessive behavior to end her life.

According to Deadline, Pursehouse, 43, is charged with one count each of murder and first-
degree residential burglary, as well as a special-circumstance allegation of lying in wait. Pursehouse could face the death penalty if convicted.

Deputy District Attorney Victor Avila alleges the events leading to Harwick’s death began around December 2019 outside the XBiz adult entertainment awards ceremony in Los Angeles, according to reports. It was there, prosecutors allege, that Pursehouse told Harwick she ruined his life and called her a “bitch.”

Then, Avila alleges, Pursehouse broke into Harwick’s home to catch her by surprise and was armed with a syringe containing a lethal dose of nicotine, per reports. There was also DNA evidence allegedly found underneath Harwick’s fingernails and on a French door in her living room, linking Pursehouse to the crime.

Pursehouse’s attorneys argued that the DNA evidence cannot be dated and that it was contaminated, per the report. They also allege there was no evidence that Pursehouse ever made a threat of harm or showed homicidal intent.

“There is no evidence that she was thrown from a balcony,” a prosecutor alleged at the hearing. “They’re asking this court to speculate.”

On the “48 Hours” special, Harwick’s friend, Robert Coshland, said he told investigators what he knew about Pursehouse, who worked as a software engineer, comedian and photographer.

“They asked who I thought might have done this and did she have any enemies?” Coshland said in the interview. "This ex of hers, Gareth. If anyone, it would be this guy."

Coshland revealed that Harwick admitted that Pursehouse had assaulted her on several occasions. “48 Hours” found numerous police reports and two restraining orders against Pursehouse.

According to the news report, in April 2011, Harwick wrote in the police report that “Pursehouse forced me to the ground, covered my mouth to prevent my yelling, kicked me.” She wrote, in mid-May 2011, Pursehouse choked her, suffocated her, pushed her against walls, kicked her, restrained her, slammed her head into the ground, punched her, and dropped her with force to the ground, according to the report.

“They would get in yelling fights. And one time she threw a pillow at him. And he hit her and bashed her head against the floor,” Coshland said in the show.

Harwick met Pursehouse at a Bench Warmer trading cards photoshoot in 2008, according to the show.

Harwick’s friend, Grace Stanley, said Pursehouse was always taking pictures of Harwick.

“I honestly think she was looking for the nice guy, the safe guy, the guy who wasn't going to break her heart or cheat on her,” Stanley told reporters. “When there's somebody who is that into you, you don't think that they're going to hurt you.”

Then, Harwick’s friends began documenting her abuse. Coshland told “48 Hours” interviewer Erin Moriarty that Harwick would have been one to stay in a bad situation like that.

“She really would want to make relationships work, even if they weren't working for her,” Coshland said. “She did not like to lose at all. So, I think a relationship breaking up would feel like a loss, and she was very much about maintaining things that she had, even if they weren't good.”

Harwick ended things with Pursehouse in 2012, per reports, but Pursehouse did not take the breakup well.

“He always wanted to know where she was at,” Harwick’s friend Rudy Torres told “48 Hours.” “He used to want me to be his go-between, which, I did not want to do. He'd always ask me to send her photos, send her links to sappy love songs. And he wouldn't take no for an answer.”

In the “48 Hours” report, Carey hoped Harwick’s death would bring more awareness to intimate partner violence and stalking. Coshland said he missed Harwick sitting next to him, and he hears her voice in his head every day.

“Every time I feel depressed, and I don't feel like getting up in the morning and I - I just say, "She can't get up. You've got to do it for - you've got to get up for her,” Little said.

Harwick’s parents issued a statement to “48 Hours”:

"As we approach the two year anniversary of Amie's death, we remain thankful for the unwavering support of our extended family and friends. Many of Amie's close friends communicate with us regularly, attend court hearings, and update us on those proceedings. We are very grateful. Our hope is that 2022 will bring justice for Amie and focus on her life, her work, and her accomplishments."

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