Friend of Drew Carey's ex Dr Amie Harwick reveals how Gareth Pursehouse treated her before death
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: New details of a horrific incident that happened three years ago have just lately come to light. The year 2020 saw the death of Dr Amie Harwick, a renowned family and sex therapist. Harwick was discovered barely alive beneath the bedroom balcony of her Hollywood Hills apartment.
Police were called after Valentine's Day to a report of a woman yelling. The 38-year-old Harwick, who was Drew Carey's ex-fiancee, was taken to the hospital where she subsequently died from her wounds. 'Death by Fame', a new true-crime documentary series on Investigation Discovery (ID), looks at Harwick's death in its first episode. The series promises to examine the dark side of fame and how it negatively affected individuals who were on the rise. It includes brand-new interviews with detectives, loved ones, and people closely related to the featured cases. The Harwick episode's guest star, Maricela "Marcy" Mendoza told Fox News, "I originally wasn't planning on speaking out but there were so many things Amie was about."
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Mendoza, a close friend of Harwick, continued, "And one of the different causes she was advocating for was changing stalking laws. We had discussed her going to the police and they told her they couldn't do anything because he hadn't done anything yet. We wanted to be vigilant about what was going on. But that wasn't enough to stop what happened."
Mendoza and Harwick originally met at a recording studio at the start of 2000. However, their friendship strengthened when they later crossed paths again at a fashion show. "She was very bubbly and vibrant. She just wanted to get to know me. She was always so talkative," Mendoza remembered.
Mendoza stated, "Sometimes you couldn't get a word in, but in that process, she got a lot out of you. She would ask questions that other people wouldn't ask. And I think that's what really connected us, that spark in her, that fire in her. She wanted to get to know me. I wanted to get to know her. And then a friendship was born."
Harwick dated Gareth Pursehouse for a brief period of time in the 2010s before gaining success. Mendoza claimed that Pursehouse made a lot of Harwick's acquaintances, including her, feel uncomfortable. "When they were together, he was very possessive," she claimed.
Mendoza further added, "He was the type of person who would tell you things to bring you down to make you feel less of yourself. He would joke about you or your appearance and then say, 'I'm just joking.' But he would say it in a very vindictive and malicious way. Amie was scared of leaving him."
"In her life after Gareth, a lot of her new friends knew she had the crazy ex-boyfriend, but they really didn't know the history of that, the restraining orders that she had put out," Mendoza shared. Harwick died on February 15, 2020, after being thrown over her third-floor balcony.
Prosecutors stated that Pursehouse was charged with murder and first-degree domestic burglary with the special circumstance of lying in wait. He was initially arrested and released on a $2 million bond shortly after Harwick died. A warrant with no bail was used to re-arrest him.
Mendoza added, "When he was arrested, I was very relieved. But then when he was let go, I panicked. I would be up all night sitting by the door... I was worried and scared... I just thought he would come after me... The reason why I'm even speaking out now is that [a mutual friend] told me it would be healing for me."
Pursehouse entered a not guilty plea to killing his ex-girlfriend in April 2020. His defense attorney claimed that none of the evidence supports the charge of murder. Records indicate that the 41-year-old was held at the Los Angeles County Jail. Further, Mendoza asserted that Harwick's situation demonstrates why restraining orders shouldn't be subject to a statute of limitations.
She pointed out that offenders need to be watched over more carefully as well. "There was so much more Amie could have done in her life. It's ironic. She was obsessed with horror movies... It's been lonely without her. But I hope more women can be saved through her death," Mendoza stated.