Amie Harwick
photo of Amie Harwick on January sixteenth twenty twenty
Harwick in January 2020
Born
Amie Nicole Harwick

(1981-05-20)May 20, 1981
Sellersville, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedFebruary 15, 2020(2020-02-15) (aged 38)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of deathHomicide
Burial placeWhitemarsh Memorial Park, Ambler, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Other namesAmie Nicole
Alma mater
Occupation(s)Family and sex counselor
OrganizationPineapple Support
Notable workAuthor of The New Sex Bible for Women (2014)
ISBN 1592336418
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata
Amie Harwick autographs her book The New Sex Bible for Women in 2014

Amie Nicole Harwick (May 20, 1981 – February 15, 2020) was an American writer and marriage and family therapist.

Biography

Harwick was adopted as a child.[1] She worked as a Playboy model[2] and dance performer to pay for her postsecondary education. She studied psychology at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, earned a Master of Arts degree from Pepperdine University in clinical psychology and Ph.D. from the non-accredited Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality, and later became a licensed marriage and family therapist.[3] Harwick was a well-known therapist in West Hollywood, specializing in family and sex counseling. She regularly appeared on podcasts, TV, and her YouTube channel to discuss her work.[4] She was the author of the book, The New Sex Bible for Women: The Complete Guide to Sexual Self-Awareness and Intimacy published in 2014.[5]

At the time of her murder, she had started working with Pineapple Support, an organization of sex-work-positive mental health professionals that had been founded in late 2017 in the wake of a rash of adult-industry suicides.[6]

Personal life

Harwick and comedian Drew Carey first met at a party in the summer of 2017. Carey posted a photo of them together on Instagram with the caption: "The face of a lottery winner (L)." Within a year Carey proposed to her and they became engaged.[7] The engagement was called off in 2018 and the split was reported as amicable.[8] After her death, Carey told NBC that Harwick was "A positive force in the world and an unapologetic champion of women."[9]

Death

On February 15, 2020, Harwick was found under the balcony of her Los Angeles home, and later died at a hospital. The initial investigation found that she had been strangled and thrown from the third floor after a fight.[2] The suspect, who was identified by authorities as her ex-boyfriend Gareth Pursehouse (against whom she had filed restraining orders twice), was arrested the next day and was charged for her murder with the special circumstance of lying in wait, breaking and entering, and home burglary.[10] He was released under a $2 million bail bond and arrested again after he pled not guilty on April 16, 2020.[11][12] His trial began on August 29, 2023. On September 29, 2023, Pursehouse was convicted of Harwick’s murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on December 6, 2023.[13]

References

  1. ^ "Blood, a broken necklace and a poison-filled syringe are evidence in Amie Harwick's violent death". CBS News. Archived from the original on February 23, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Holcombe, Madeline; Moon, Sarah (February 20, 2020). "Amie Harwick was strangled before she was thrown over balcony, autopsy finds". CNN. Archived from the original on May 1, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  3. ^ Stuart, Gwynedd (February 17, 2020). "Colleagues and Friends React to the Murder of Hollywood Sex Therapist Dr. Amie Harwick". Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  4. ^ "Drew Carey mourns death of ex-fiancée Amie Harwick". February 18, 2020. Archived from the original on May 1, 2020. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  5. ^ The New Sex Bible for Women: The Complete Guide to Sexual Self-Awareness and Intimacy. Quiver. November 2014. ISBN 978-1592336418.
  6. ^ Dickson, E. J. (March 10, 2020). "Inside the Bright Life of a Murdered Hollywood Sex Therapist". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  7. ^ Sblendorio, Peter. "Drew Carey engaged to Dr. Amie Harwick". nydailynews.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2018. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  8. ^ Read, Bridget (April 17, 2020). "What We Know About the Death of Amie Harwick". The Cut. Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  9. ^ "Ex-boyfriend arrested in death of celebrity sex therapist Amie Harwick, LAPD says". NBC News. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  10. ^ Drexler, Peggy (February 29, 2020). "The tragic details of the killing of Amie Harwick". CNN. Archived from the original on March 13, 2020. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  11. ^ "Ex-Boyfriend Pleads Not Guilty To Killing Hollywood Therapist Amie Harwick". CBSLA. April 16, 2020. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  12. ^ Acosta, Nicole (January 5, 2021). "Amie Harwick's Accused Killer Ex-Boyfriend Finally Has Preliminary Hearing Date". Daily Voice. Archived from the original on July 10, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  13. ^ "Hollywood marriage and sex therapist's ex-boyfriend sentenced to life in prison for her death". cbsnews.com. December 6, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
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