Drew Carey's ex Amie Harwick fought with her killer before she was thrown off balcony: Report
Dr Amie Harwick, the tragic former fiancee of actor Drew Carey, likely fought for her life before being thrown off a balcony to her death.
The Los Angeles based family therapist was found dead outside her Hollywood Hills residence in February. She was only 38. Gareth Pursehouse, 41, Harwick's former boyfriend, has been charged with her murder. According to the Los Angles Medical Examiner's Office, Harwick died in a homicide from blunt force injuries to her head and torso.
Meanwhile, investigators at the scene recorded "possible evidence of a struggle" before her death.
Now, an autopsy report obtained by People has revealed Harwick was found with marks on her hands and fingers that were "consistent with a combination of defense and assault-type wounds."
The report confirmed that Harwick's injuries indicated she was involved in an "altercation" before she died. She also sustained “severe injuries of her brain, liver, and pelvis in an apparent fall from a height" as well as injuries to her neck that are "consistent with manual strangulation," according to the report.
She had two protective orders against Pursehouse for threatening behavior, which friends described as "stalking." She was given a protective order in 2011, but that expired in January. It was also reported that Harwick had “expressed concerns about an ex-boyfriend" and was seen with Pursehouse days prior to her death.
Rudy Torres, Harwick's friend, told KABC that Pursehouse “was a stalker" who "didn’t take it well" after his split with the victim six years ago. “He’d do stupid stuff and say stupid stuff. You’d tell him, ‘Move on, dude, leave her alone’—and he wouldn’t," he said.
Now, Pursehouse is facing the death penalty on charges, including murder and first-degree residential burglary with the special circumstance allegation of lying in wait, according to prosecutors.
Drew Carey and Amie Harwick began dating in 2017 and announced they were getting engaged in 2018. However, the pair called it off less than a year into the union and the split was "very amicable," according to a rep for Carey.
"Amie and I had a love that people are lucky to have once in a lifetime," Carey said. "She was a positive force in the world, a tireless and unapologetic champion for women, and passionate about her work as a therapist. I am overcome with grief. I would like to thank you in advance for giving myself and everyone who loved Amie privacy while we try to work through this tragic situation."
He also paid 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 through tears.
Aimie's best friend Robert Coshland described her as "an outspoken advocate for women." "She would talk about these kinds of statistics about women being injured and killed by boyfriends. She became a statistic of something she actively talked about and lectured and helped people with all the time. It’s just doubly, triply tragic," Coshland remarked.