Pursehouse Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of North Penn Alum Amie Harwick

A California man will spend the rest of his life in prison for the murder of North Penn High School alum and noted Hollywood sex therapist Amie Harwick.

Gareth Pursehouse, 44, was sentenced on Wednesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being previously found guilty of first-degree murder and burglary by a jury in September. The judge also ordered Pursehouse pay $7,500 for Harwick’s funeral costs, as well as restitution to Harwick’s parents for travel, lodging and food costs associated with the court proceedings.

According to a report from Deadline.com, members of the Los Angeles Police Department were dispatched to Harwick’s home along the 2000 block of Mound Street on Feb. 15, 2020, at 1:16 a.m. for a report of a woman screaming. Upon arrival, police met with Harwick’s roommate, who stated that Harwick was being assaulted by her ex-boyfriend — identified as Pursehouse, the report states.

Police found Harwick critically injured on the ground beneath her third-story balcony, and she was rushed to an area hospital where she was later pronounced dead, the report states. Investigators said that they found possible evidence of a struggle and forced entry into the residence, according to the report.

Pursehouse was arrested around 4:30 p.m. the same day on suspicion of murder.

Harwick and Pursehouse had previously broken up from a relationship several years prior, and afterwards, Harwick had filed a restraining order against him, reports indicate. Deadline.com reports that the restraining order had expired prior to the Feb. 15 incident, and Harwick and Pursehouse had been in contact with one another in the weeks prior to her death.

Harwick grew up in a home along Lansdale Avenue in Montgomery Township and graduated with North Penn High School’s Class of 1999. In the time since her graduation, she moved out to Hollywood and received her Masters of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University and her Doctorate of Human Sexuality from the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality.

This is a breaking news story from North Penn now. This story will be updated.

See also:

California Man Found Guilty of Murdering North Penn Alum Amie Harwick

North Penn Grad Amie Harwick, Ex-Fiancée of Drew Carey, Killed in Hollywood, Police Say

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

Obit: Amie Nicole Harwick, Therapist and Author, Dies at 38