Crime

Hollywood Sex Therapist Amie Harwick Likely Fought for Life Before Being Thrown off Balcony: Autopsy

Amie Harwick, who was once engaged to Drew Carey, was allegedly killed by an ex-boyfriend

Published on April 3, 2020 02:23 PM

Amie Harwick, the Hollywood sex therapist killed in February who was once engaged to Drew Carey, likely fought for her life before she was strangled and forced off her third-story balcony, according to her autopsy report.

The report from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner — which was obtained by PEOPLE and was first obtained by The Blast — says Harwick sustained wounds on her fingers and hands “consistent with a combination of defense and assault type wounds, suggestive of an altercation.”

The medical examiner had previously announced that Harwick, 38, died in a homicide from blunt force injuries to the head and torso she suffered by falling from her balcony, as well as manual strangulation.

The suspect in the case is Harwick’s ex-boyfriend Gareth Pursehouse, 41, who is charged with murder and residential burglary with the special circumstance allegation of lying in wait.

The autopsy report contains a statement from a sheriff’s deputy stating that Harwick’s roommate in her Hollywood Hills home “was awoken by sounds of a female screaming. He was able to tell the screaming was coming from up above his residence and could hear sounds of some type of physical fight; he then realized that it was [Amie] screaming.”

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According to the report, Harwick “sustained severe injuries of her brain, liver, and pelvis in an apparent fall from a height. Injuries of her neck, particularly strap muscle hemorrhage, are consistent with manual strangulation.”

Suspect ‘Didn’t Respect the End of the Relationship,’ Says Friend

Pursehouse dated Harwick a decade ago, but after Harwick broke off the relationship, Pursehouse allegedly began stalking and harassing her, prompting her to file two restraining orders against him, the last of which expired in 2015.

“He kept finding her, kept seeking her out,” her friend Hernando Chaves told PEOPLE in February. “He didn’t respect the end of the relationship.”

Friends told PEOPLE Harwick began channeling her experiences into helping women and found her true calling as a therapist and teacher. After her breakup with Pursehouse, she went on to become a licensed marriage and family therapist with a thriving practice in West Hollywood, author of the 2014 book, The Sex Bible for Women, an advocate for domestic violence victims and Carey‘s fiancé.

Drew Carey and Amie Harwick — Drew Carey, Amie Harwick. Michael Bezjian/WireImage

After Harwick died, Carey wept while paying tribute to her on his Sirius XM show Drew Carey’s Friday Night Freak-Out.

“She was a sex therapist and mental health advocate. She had a PhD and a master’s degree, and she was beautiful and fun, and cared deeply about people and improving their lives and was just a joy to be around. I was so in love with her,” he said.

Pursehouse is jailed without bond. It was not immediately clear if he has entered a plea. His public defender has not returned PEOPLE’s requests for comment.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.