Transcript
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Hollywood is a place where reinvention is practically a requirement. You move there,
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you change your name, maybe your nose, and if you're lucky, you make it big. Amy Harwick understood
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transformation better than most. She put herself through school, became one of the most sought-after
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sex therapists in LA, and even wrote the new sex Bible for women. But no amount of success could
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keep her past from catching up with her. Because lurking just outside her well-earned success
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was Gareth Pursehouse, a man who started as a boyfriend, became an abuser, and refused to stay
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gone. When their paths crossed again nearly a decade later, it wasn't a reunion, it was a countdown.
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Today we're talking about how one woman built an incredible life, helped thousands of people,
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and still couldn't escape the one person who refused to let her go. But before we dive in,
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if you like your true crime brief and bingeable, you're in the right place. Hit the follow button
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now for at least two new episodes every week. This is 10 Minute Murder. Let's get into it.
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Hollywood is known for its bright lights and red carpets. But on one February night in 2020,
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the focus wasn't on a star-studded event. It was on the lifeless body of a woman clinging to survival.
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First responders raced through the city's winding streets to an apartment complex where 38-year-old
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Amy Nicole Harwick lay barely holding on. Amy's journey to that moment had been anything but easy.
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She had been adopted as a child, and even from a young age, she understood that nothing in life
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was guaranteed, except the work she put into it. That second chance at life for adoptive family
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gave her, she took it seriously. She excelled academically, pushing herself through every challenge
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until she secured a spot at California State Polytechnic University, where she studied psychology.
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Helping people wasn't just a career path for Amy, it was her calling, but she wasn't waiting
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around for anyone to make things easier for her. If she wanted to build a life of independence,
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she was going to do it herself. Amy Harwick wasn't handed her education. She earned it one hard
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fault step at a time. She paid her way through college by dancing, covering her tuition for her
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psychology degree. Then she did it again for her masters in clinical psychology, and again for her
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PhD. While some people took out loans or relied on family support, Amy hustled. Her work ethic paid off,
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literally. She became a marriage and family therapist, specializing in human sexuality and
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intimate relationships. It wasn't just a job for Amy, it was her passion. She didn't just want to
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help people, she wanted to change lives. Amy quickly became one of Hollywood's most respected therapists,
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working with clients to rebuild their relationships and redefine intimacy. Her expertise landed her
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regular spots on TV and podcasts, and she even launched her own YouTube channel to share her insights
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with a wider audience. She put her philosophies into writing with the new sex Bible for women,
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the complete guide to sexual self-awareness and intimacy. Despite what the title may suggest,
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the book wasn't just about the mechanics of sex. It was about emotional connection, self-discovery,
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and breaking down societal stigmas around intimacy. Readers praised it for offering practical,
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meaningful advice that helped them reconnect with their partners on a deeper level.
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Amy never shied away from conversations about sex or the complex emotions tied to it.
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She had firsthand experience with the industry's realities. Her time as a dancer and modeling for
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Playboy had given her an inside look at a world that most only see through a filtered lens.
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In 2017, a series of suicides in the adult entertainment industry exposed a growing mental
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health crisis. Amy saw the problem and got to work, partnering with pineapple support to connect sex
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workers with critical therapy and crisis resources. The adult industry had long been overlooked when
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it came to mental health resources, and Amy worked to close that gap, making sure people got the
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care they needed before it was too late. While Amy's professional life was thriving, her personal
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life was about to take a dangerous turn. She was a fixture at LA's high profile parties,
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mingling with celebrities, socialites, and industry insiders. At one of these events in the early
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2010s, she met a photographer, Gareth Pursehouse. At first glance, Gareth seemed harmless, reserved,
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and maybe a little eccentric, but charming and funny enough to make a solid first impression.
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But as Amy would soon find out, first impressions aren't everything. At first, Amy and Gareth
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hid it off. He was quirky, a little shy, but charming in the way that makes some people seem
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interesting rather than awkward. Amy, known for her empathy, was drawn to people who didn't fit the
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mold, but Gareth wasn't just different. He was dangerous. Over the course of their 18-month
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relationship, the charm wore off, replaced by violent outbursts. Amy filed multiple police reports,
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detailing the abuse, beatings, choking, suffocation, and full-force punches. She had the injuries to
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prove it, documented in photos that left no room for doubt. She took every step she could to protect
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herself. Two restraining orders were filed. Eventually, the relationship ended. Gareth was out of her life.
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With Gareth in the rear view, Amy moved forward. A few years later, she met comedian Drew Carrey,
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and within a year they were engaged. The relationship was different, full of love,
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laughter, and mutual respect. But even with all the right ingredients, it wasn't meant to last.
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They called off the engagement after a year, but they stayed friends. Drew would later describe Amy as
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"a positive force in the world and an unapologetic champion of women." Amy kept moving forward,
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shifting between professional circles, raising awareness for mental health, and staying focused on
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her work. Then, at the X-Biz Awards, a red carpet event celebrating the adult industry,
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Amy's past came crashing into her present. Standing in front of her was Gareth Pursehouse,
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but instead of intimidation or confrontation, what unfolded was something else entirely. Gareth
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unraveled. He broke down in front of her, sobbing, shaking, hyperventilating. "Why are you here? Why are
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you here?" he screamed. His face contorted an anger and despair. Amy later described the encounter
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in chilling detail. "He recited text messages that I had sent about nine years ago. Recited the date,
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who they were to, and exactly what they said word for word. I couldn't believe it." I was very scared.
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To her mother, Penny Harwick, she recounted the scene in even starker terms. Quote,
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"He called her a bitch." Penny told 48 hours. He told her she ruined his life. And she said, "Mom,
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I went into therapist mode. I just tried to calm him." For the next hour, Amy, someone who had
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spent her career helping others, did what she did best. She helped. Even though he had terrorized
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her, she stayed, talked, and tried to defuse the situation. But as soon as she walked away, the fear
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set in. Something was wrong. Very wrong. Amy's instincts screamed. This wasn't over. She installed
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security cameras, carried pepper spray, and made sure friends knew where she was at all times.
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She even documented her fears and private emails. Quote, "Tonight I felt very scared. It
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terrifies me that he's been obsessed with me for nine years. Things about me every day." The
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restraining orders that at once kept Garret that Bay had long since expired. Legally, there was nothing
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standing between her and the man who had fixated on her for nearly a decade. Amy did everything right.
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She took precautions. She voiced her fears. She tried to protect herself. But on the night of
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February 13, 2020, someone broke into her apartment. Moments later, she was found, battered, strangled,
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and thrown from her third floor balcony. A neighbor, realizing who it was lying on the pavement,
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scrambled for help. He couldn't find his phone, so he ran to a neighbor's apartment,
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desperate to call 911. First responders arrived to find Amy still clinging to life. They rushed
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her to the hospital, but the damage was catastrophic. She didn't make it. It didn't take long for
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law enforcement, or anyone paying attention, to figure out who was responsible for Amy Harwick's
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murder. Just a month earlier, she had come face to face with Garret Persehouse at the ex-Biz
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Awards. And it was clear to everyone that he was still obsessed with her. The man who had been
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once a footnote in her past had forced himself back into her story. This time, with fatal consequences,
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on the same day Amy died, police arrested Garret, now 45 years old, and charged him with her murder.
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He posted a $2 million bond and was released, but the freedom did not last long. When he pleaded
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not guilty, he was taken back into custody where he would await trial. Three years later,
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Garret finally faced a judge. His defense, he hadn't gone to Amy's apartment to harm her,
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he'd gone to talk. According to him, the conversation had turned physical, but only because Amy attacked
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him first. He was simply defending himself. And since there were no witnesses to say otherwise,
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how could anyone be sure he was the one who threw the first punch? It was a flimsy excuse,
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but flimsy was all he had. The prosecution didn't even have to speculate. Amy had left behind the
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strongest evidence imaginable, her own words. Her emails, written in the weeks leading up to her
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murder, painted a picture of a woman living in fear of a man who had never let her go. He couldn't
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stop obsessing over me. She wrote, "He recited text messages that I had sent about nine years ago,
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recited the dates, who they were to, and exactly what they said word for word. I couldn't believe it.
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I was very scared. I'm pretty nervous that I'm more on his radar now. He's focused on harming me.
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I'm hoping that this interaction and listening to him and giving him time may cause a neutralization
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in his anger towards me." Amy had tried to calm him, tried to protect herself, and even tried to
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reason with his obsession. But none of it mattered. The jury didn't buy Gareth's version of events.
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He was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. A man who had
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spent nearly a decade fixated on Amy had stolen her future, but in the end, justice ensured he would
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never walk free again. Thanks for listening to this episode of 10 Minute Murder. If you like what you
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heard, don't forget to hit subscribe and leave a review. It helps other true climbers find the show.
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And if you're craving more stories, but with a more mysterious twist, a weird vibe,
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check out my other podcast, 10 Minute Mystery. Thank you for listening to 10 Minute Murder. See you next time.
