Gareth Pursehouse, the man convicted of murdering actor and comedian, Drew Carey’s ex-fiancee, Dr. Amie Harwick has been handed a life sentence. 

A jury had found him guilty of first-degree murder with a special circumstance allegation after a trial in September. Prosecutors had also alleged that he broke into Harwick’s home in February of 2020 and waited for her to return before attacking and ultimately threw her off a third-story balcony. He was arrested after Harwick’s death, and investigators pinpointed him as the prime suspect with the help of surveillance video.

His crime stemmed from not being able to get over their prior relationship which had ended years ago. Interestingly, Harwick had apparently expressed fear to friends and confidantes over Pursehouse not long before she died.

Pursehouse’s defense team acknowledged in court he had, in fact, illegally entered Harwick’s house that night, but argued that he never intended to kill her. They claimed Harwick might have climbed over the balcony herself and fell on her own, noting the prosecution hadn’t definitively proven their client was the one who threw her off. 

Pursehouse was on Wednesday, December 6, sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.