Pursehouse found guilty of murdering Hollywood sex therapist
- Jury reaches verdict in trial of man accused of killing Hollywood sex therapist
- Prosecutors allege Pursehouse planned the crime in advance
- Pursehouse is facing life in prison
Testing widget old system
(NewsNation) — Gareth Pursehouse has been found guilty of murdering his ex-girlfriend Dr. Amie Harwick, NewsNation has confirmed.
The jury found Pursehouse guilty of first-degree murder — with the special circumstance of lying in wait — and first-degree burglary. He is facing a life sentence with no possibility of parole.
Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 6.
Pursehouse was accused of killing Harwick, an acclaimed Hollywood sex therapist, in 2020. According to testimony from Harwick’s friends, the couple had broken up in 2012, eight years prior to the murder. Shortly before Harwick’s death, Pursehouse had gotten Harwick’s phone number and began stalking her.
Harwick told friends she was frightened of Pursehouse and what he might do, friends testified. Previously, she had gotten two restraining orders against Pursehouse, the second of which had expired.
Harwick was found dead beneath the balcony of her apartment on Feb. 15, 2020. According to the case laid out by prosecutors, Pursehouse lay in wait in Harwick’s apartment on Valentine’s Day planning to kill her with a fatal overdose of nicotine, which he had brought with him.
Prosecutors allege Pursehouse strangled Harwick and shoved her off the balcony in a premeditated murder. In closing arguments, they urged the jury to find Pursehouse guilty of first-degree murder.
Pursehouse’s attorneys rested without presenting a case to the jury.
