Gareth Pursehouse was sentenced on December 6, 2023, to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the killing of Amie Harwick. A Los Angeles jury had found him guilty of first-degree murder and first-degree burglary, and found true a special-circumstance allegation that the murder was committed while lying in wait.
What the jury found and what the sentence means
The jury’s September 2023 verdict was for first-degree murder and first-degree burglary. It also found true the special circumstance of murder while lying in wait. On December 6, 2023, the court sentenced Pursehouse to life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to CBS News’ case timeline and CBS Los Angeles’ sentencing report.
These are separate stages of the case: the jury returned the convictions and special-circumstance finding; the court imposed the sentence. The available reports establish the sentence but do not provide the sentencing transcript or judgment, so they do not establish the judge’s full reasoning or additional technical sentencing terms.
How the case reached sentencing
- February 19, 2020 — Charge announced: The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced that Pursehouse had been charged with murder in case BA485380. Its release said prosecutors alleged the killing took place shortly after 1 a.m. on February 15, 2020, and identified Harwick as 38. Those were details reported at the charging stage, not the later jury verdict. Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office release.
- September 2023 — Jury verdict: A Los Angeles jury found Pursehouse guilty of first-degree murder and first-degree burglary and found the lying-in-wait special circumstance true. CBS News and City News Service reported that deliberations lasted about two days. CBS News timeline.
- December 6, 2023 — Sentence: Pursehouse received life in prison without the possibility of parole. The outcome was also reported by CBS News.
Who Amie Harwick was
Harwick was a marriage and sex therapist. News reports described Pursehouse as her former boyfriend. She was 38 when she died in February 2020, according to the District Attorney’s charging announcement. The date and circumstances described in that early release should be understood as allegations reported at the time; the later, established procedural outcome is the jury’s verdict and the sentence.
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What is—and is not—established about his current status
The cited reports establish the December 2023 sentence. They do not verify Pursehouse’s custody or appeal status as of October 4, 2026. A current official custody or appellate record would be needed to make a reliable present-day claim about either.
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