LOS ANGELES (Court TV) — A California man was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole on Wednesday for the murder of his ex-girlfriend.
Gareth Pursehouse sits in court on Aug. 29, 2023, as opening statements begin in his murder trial. (Court TV)
On Sept. 27, a jury convicted Gareth Pursehouse on charges of murder and burglary for the death of his ex-girlfriend, Dr. Amie Harwick. Pursehouse, 45, had previously dated Harwick.
Harwick was a marriage and sex therapist and was once engaged to comedian Drew Carey. She was murdered in her Hollywood Hills home after returning from a night out with friends on Valentine’s Day, 2020. Pursehouse was convicted on charges he lay in wait for Harwick inside her home before attacking her.
READ MORE: CA v. Gareth Pursehouse: Hollywood Obsession Murder Trial
Prosecutors said that Pursehouse was obsessed with Harwick, who had expressed concern about her safety to friends after a chance encounter with the defendant.
Pursehouse chose not to testify in his own defense during the trial.
Harwick’s family traveled to the hearing to deliver victim impact statements, with her father, mother and brother delivering tearful messages to the court. The final victim impact statement was not in person, but a message written by Michael Herman, Harwick’s roommate. Herman was the person who called 911 the night of Harwick’s murder.
Herman said in his statement that he continues to suffer from PTSD and remains paranoid and worried that one day Pursehouse will be released from prison.
The judge sentenced Pursehouse to life in prison without the chance for parole and ordered him to pay $7,500 in restitution.
