Dr. Amie Harwick — a prominent Hollywood-based sex therapist who was recently featured in the documentary “Addicted to Sexting” (2015) and was once engaged to Drew Carey — was murdered in her Hollywood Hills apartment early Saturday morning, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Her former boyfriend has been arrested on suspicion of assaulting her and throwing her from her third-story balcony.
“On Saturday, February 15, 2020, around 1:16 a.m. Hollywood patrol officers responded to a radio call of a ‘woman screaming’ in the 2000 block of Mound Street in Hollywood Hills,” the LAPD said in a statement Sunday, as reported by Deadline.
“When officers arrived, Harwick’s roommate met them in the street and informed officers that she was being assaulted,” the outlet reports. “The roommate had escaped by jumping over a wall and going to a neighboring residence to call for help.”
Officers found Harwick unresponsive on the ground outside fo the apartment building, having apparently been thrown from her third story balcony. The therapist was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to the significant injuries she suffered from the fall.
Police say that evidence from her apartment indicates forced entry into the apartment and a struggle upstairs, from which she appears to have been thrown.
“Evidence of a suspect entering and leaving the property after the murder was also found. Surveillance video led police to the suspect,” Los Angeles ABC-affiliate KABC reports.
“Gareth Pursehouse, 41, was arrested around 4:30 p.m. Saturday by FBI-LAPD Fugitive Task Force members on suspicion of murder outside his residence in Playa Del Rey,” Deadline reports. “Police said Harwick and Pursehouse dated and had recently broken up.”
Police say their investigation has revealed that Harwick had “recently expressed fear” about Pursehouse and filed a restraining order against him, KABC reports. The restraining order expired and the two had seen each other two weeks ago.
Pursehouse is currently being held on $2 million bail.
Deadline notes that Harwick was engaged to comedian and actor Drew Carey, who currently hosts “The Price is Right,” for about a year but the two called off the engagement in 2018.
Along with her appearance on the 2015 documentary “Addicted to Sexting,” Harwick had a strong social media presence, particularly on Facebook, where she regularly posted her interview and podcast appearances and addressed a wide range of sex-themed topics, including BDSM, drug use and sex, and other “taboo” issues.
KABC notes that in a recent Facebook post, Harwick recommended a book titled “Stay Sexy and Don’t Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide,” a New York Times and USA Today best-seller written by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark.
Below are two examples of Harwick’s recent Facebook posts:
Check out the podcast that I was on with my good friends Barbara and Vera. Their new podcast, Datey Ladies, Examines a new relationship book on every episode, discusses the book, and applies it to their own lives and the culture they see around them. This was a really fun podcast for me because I picked the book, and one of my favorites, Attached.
New YouTube video! Many sexual communities develop exceptional strengths and skills in order to participate in the type of activities that they enjoy in the most positive and ethical way. In bdsm play, participants often become very skilled in consent, boundaries, and communication. Check out my newest YouTube video to learn about these skills and how to apply them to your life. Video filmed by Ruby Palma
