# Amie Harwick

Amie Nicole Harwick (May 20, 1981 – February 15, 2020) was an American marriage and family therapist and writer. Known for her work with clients in West Hollywood, she authored The New Sex Bible for Women: The Complete Guide to Sexual Self-Awareness and Intimacy (2014) and regularly discussed her work on podcasts, TV, and her YouTube channel. In 2018, she was briefly the fiancée of comedian Drew Carey. During the final years of her life, she worked with Pineapple Support, a nonprofit organization that provides mental health support to members of the adult film industry.
At age 38, Harwick was murdered by an ex-boyfriend at her Hollywood Hills apartment. Her killer was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

## Biography

Adopted as a child, Harwick grew up in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, graduating from North Penn High School in 1999. After marrying a heavy metal musician, she moved to Los Angeles in 2001. In her early career, she worked as a personal trainer under the name Amie Nicole, releasing a workout DVD titled Amie Nicole's Fit to Rock. To help pay for educational expenses, she worked multiple side jobs, including as a go-go dancer, bartender, and model; she modeled for Playboy under the name Nicolette Novak.
After completing a degree in psychology at California State Polytechnic University, Harwick earned a Master of Arts in clinical psychology from Pepperdine University and received a Ph.D. from the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality (a non-accredited institution). She became a well-known marriage and family therapist in West Hollywood, where she specialized in family and sex counseling. She regularly appeared on podcasts, TV, and her YouTube channel to discuss her work. In 2014, she published a book, The New Sex Bible for Women: The Complete Guide to Sexual Self-Awareness and Intimacy. In 2015, she was featured in the documentary film Addicted to Sexting.
At a party in the summer of 2017, Harwick, then aged 35, met comedian Drew Carey, then aged 58. Several weeks later, they went on their first date to Disneyland. They announced their engagement in January 2018, but ended their relationship amicably later that year. After her death, Carey told NBC News that she had been "a positive force in the world and an unapologetic champion of women."
In the final years of her life, Harwick worked with Pineapple Support, a nonprofit organization that provides mental health support in the adult entertainment industry. She also served on the board of directors of Rock to Recovery, a nonprofit organization that treats addiction and mental health issues with music therapy.

## Murder

On the evening of Valentine's Day 2020, Harwick attended a burlesque performance, returning to her Hollywood Hills apartment shortly after 1:00 a.m. on February 15. At 1:16 a.m., Harwick's roommate placed an emergency call to the Los Angeles Police Department, reporting screaming inside the apartment. The responding officers found Harwick badly injured and unresponsive on the patio beneath her third-floor balcony; she was later pronounced dead at a hospital. An initial investigation found that she had been strangled and thrown from the balcony after a home invasion.
Police arrested 41-year-old Gareth Pursehouse, a software engineer, photographer, and aspiring comedian whom Harwick had dated for around 18 months in the early 2010s. After she ended the relationship, he reportedly stalked and harassed her, and she sought restraining orders against him. A month before her death, she encountered him at the XBIZ Awards, an adult entertainment awards ceremony, where he was working as a photographer. Her friends witnessed him confronting her and accusing her of ruining his life.
Pursehouse was charged with Harwick's murder, with the special circumstance of lying in wait, breaking and entering, and home burglary. During his trial, which began on August 29, 2023, prosecutors gave evidence that he had broken into her apartment, had waited for several hours until she returned home, and had then punched her, strangled her, and thrown her off the third-floor balcony, causing her death by blunt force trauma to the head and torso. He had brought a syringe containing a lethal amount of nicotine to her apartment, although it had remained unused. On September 29, 2023, a jury convicted Pursehouse of first-degree murder. On December 6, 2023, he was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole. He was also ordered to pay $7,500 in restitution.

## Appearances
### Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2007 | The Devil's Muse | Jeannette Bauer | listed Amie Nicole |
| 2016 | Noirland | Dr. Anouschka Berman | listed as Amie Nicole |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2011 | Blabber Box | Mechanic's Girlfriend | Episode: "3" |