LOS ANGELES — Police arrested a man Saturday on suspicion of killing his ex-girlfriend, Dr. Amie Harwick, a well-known Hollywood family therapist and former fiancee to comedian Drew Carey.
Officers were called early Saturday to respond to reports of a woman screaming in the Hollywood Hills. When they arrived, they found a man in the street who identified himself as Harwick's roommate. He told authorities that Harwick was being assaulted inside her home and that he had jumped a wall to get to a neighboring home to call for help.
Police found Harwick unresponsive and gravely injured on the ground beneath a third-story balcony. Officers said her injuries appeared to be consistent with a fall. Authorities took her to a hospital, where she later died, according to police.
Inside Harwick’s home, investigators said they found evidence of forced entry to the residence and of a struggle. While canvassing the area, police said they found further evidence to suggest an intruder entered the home and left after killing the 38-year-old.
Detectives learned the doctor had recently expressed fear about a former boyfriend, identified as 41-year-old Gareth Pursehouse. She previously took out a restraining order against Pursehouse, but it had since expired and police said Harwick had seen him two weeks before her death.
Police arrested Pursehouse around 4:30 p.m. Saturday outside a home in Playa Del Rey. Jail records showed he remained jailed Monday on a $2 million bond.
Rudy Torres, who was friends with Harwick, told KCBS-TV that he felt the system failed the doctor because it “will not act until something happens.”
“It’s always too little too late,” Torres told KCBS-TV. “I was there when it all started and they didn’t do much for her then, definitely didn’t do anything for her now.”
In 2018, Harwick became engaged to Carey, 61, though the couple split less than a year later, USA Today reported.
Harwick worked as a licensed marriage and family therapist. In 2015, she appeared in the documentary “Addicted to Sexting,” the Los Angeles Times reported.
Authorities continue to investigate.
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