Man charged in the death of Drew Carey's ex-fiancee Amie Harwick as petition gains steam

A man has been charged with the murder of Amie Harwick, a Hollywood-based therapist who was formerly engaged to Drew Carey, the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office said Wednesday.

Gareth Pursehouse, 41, was arrested and charged with killing Harwick, his ex-girlfriend, by allegedly throwing her over a balcony at her Hollywood Hills home.

Pursehouse was charged with murder and first-degree residential burglary with the special circumstance allegation of lying in wait, making him eligible for the death penalty.

Pursehouse was initially arrested and posted $2 million bond. He was re-arrested Wednesday on a no-bail warrant.

Harwick was found unresponsive below a balcony early Saturday morning with injuries "consistent with a fall," the Los Angeles Police Department announced in a news release Sunday. She was taken to a hospital where she died. She was 38. The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department.

Days after Harwick's death, Carey shared a petition in her honor.

The comedian, 61, took to Twitter Tuesday to share a link to a Change.org petition calling for an update to domestic violence laws.

"Please sign this petition and chip in if you can," he wrote with the hashtag #JusticeForAmie. "Thank you and bless you"

Police also said a restraining order Harwick had filed against Pursehouse had recently expired.

A self-described friend of Harwick's, Diana Arias, created the petition, writing that Harwick died as "a result of poor laws not protecting the victims and treating the offenders."

"I refuse to let her death be in vain," she wrote.

In the post's description, Arias calls for four changes, including no expiration dates on restraining orders unless the victim requests it; mandatory counseling for the stalker/abuser; victims not having to testify in a courtroom close to their abuser; and a registry of domestic abusers in order "to warn others."

As of Wednesday evening, the petition had garnered 44,234 signatures.

Arias added, "People shouldn't have to die to make changes. If Amie's murder can save countless other lives like she was doing when she was alive then it makes this pain of her death not in vain."

Carey and Harwick were engaged in 2018. They called it quits less than a year later.

"Amie and I had a love that people are lucky to have once in a lifetime," Carey said in a statement to USA TODAY Monday. "She was a positive force in the world, a tireless and unapologetic champion for women, and passionate about her work as a therapist. I am overcome with grief. I would like to thank you in advance for giving myself and everyone who loved Amie privacy while we try to work through this tragic situation."

"The Price is Right," hosted by Carey, will halt production this week, Kristina Kirk, vice president of communications for the game show's production company, Fremantle, confirmed to USA TODAY.

Contributing: Hannah Yasharoff, Carly Mallenbaum

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Amie Harwick: Man charged with murder in death of Drew Carey's ex