Gareth Pursehouse — the man accused of murdering comedian Drew Carey’s ex-fiancé and dumping her body from a third-floor balcony — has been found guilty of murder and could spend the rest of his life in prison.
A Los Angeles jury also found Pursehouse, 45, guilty of first-degree residential burglary and believed he “lay in wait” before he killed famed Hollywood sex therapist Amie Harwick, his 38-year-old ex-girlfriend, in the Hollywood Hills. home on Valentine’s Day 2020.
“There is a lot of evidence that really shows the defendant’s malice in wanting to kill Amie Harwick and punish her,” prosecutor Catherine Mariano said during a press conference after the verdict was read Thursday.
“I believe this is an act of absolute desperation.”
Pursehouse looked somber and remained silent as the verdict was read by a clerk in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
Carey, who was engaged to Harwick before the couple split in 2018, was not present at Thursday’s hearing, sources told The Post.
“When I heard that he was killed, immediately, I thought: ‘It’s got to be the guy,'” “The Price Is Right” host told “48 Hours” in 2022.
Gareth Pursehouse, the man accused of murdering Hollywood sex therapist Amie Harwick, has been found guilty and faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. Law&Crime Network Drew Carey and Amie Harwick together in 2017 and 2018.WireImage
Carey despaired and added, “She was killed by an ex-boyfriend who had been stalking her for about 10 years and she was so scared, even scared of him when we [our] relationship.”
The Post has reached out to him for comment on the decision.
Harwick dated Pursehouse before Carey, but friends say her killer eventually became “obsessed” with the stunning sex therapist after she broke up with him in 2012.
Friends who testified during the trial said Pursehouse continued to send her “sad messages” for years. He also warned his friends that “If anything happens to me, it will be Gareth,” prosecutors said.
When she bumped into Pursehouse at an event she was shooting as a photographer in January 2020, her obsession with him was reignited, friends claim.
Dr. Amie Harwick is a leading sex and family therapist and former fiancee of actor and game show host Drew Carey.
Harwick applied for two restraining orders against Pursehouse before he showed up on her doorstep on Valentine’s Day three years ago.
“He has choked me, punched me, slammed my head on the ground, kicked me,” Harwick wrote in one of the restraining orders.
“This results in bruising, not being able to walk, bleeding, broken blood vessels all around [my] face, whiplash, neck and back pain.”
A copy of the request for a restraining order issued by Amie Harwick against Pursehouse in 2012. GRHOHarwick was found dead under the third floor balcony of her Hollywood Hills home on Valentine’s Day 2020. BACKGRID
During the trial, prosecutors said Pursehouse broke into Harwick’s home on Valentine’s Day 2020 and waited for hours before strangling her and then throwing her body off a third-floor balcony, according to KTLA.
Police also found a syringe with a lethal dose of nicotine in the home.
His defense attorney claimed Pursehouse was suicidal and intended to use nicotine on himself. They said Harwick accidentally fell from the balcony and their client had nothing to do with his death.
Pursehouse is scheduled to return to court for sentencing on Dec. 6.
Harwick and Carey met at a party in Las Vegas. 48 Hours “I think about him every day,” Carey — seen here attending Harwick’s funeral — said of her late ex. T.JACKSON/BACKGRID Prosecutors say Pursehouse broke into Harwick’s home on Valentine’s Day 2020 and waited for hours before he strangled her and then threw her body off the third floor balcony. Facebook
Carey and Harwick met in 2017 at a party in Las Vegas. Carey told “48 Hours” she was “falling hard for him” and also posted an Instagram photo of them together with the caption, “The face of a lottery winner.”
“You want an intimate relationship where you can open up completely to someone and be yourself. And he was for me,” the grieving comedian told the show.
Friends and family who attended Thursday’s hearing in Los Angeles said they found some solace after the verdict.
“There’s never any closure in a situation like this,” said his friend Robert Coshland. “But at least justice was served today.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
