Dr. Insanity - Man Walks Outside To Find Decapitated Roommate

Episode Date: December 13, 2025

This man just led police to a dead body— The victim, Amie Harwick, a celebrity therapist was found lying unconscious under her third-story balcony. Officers were immediately suspicious of Amie’s roommate Michael Herman… Subscribe for more crime content like this... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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She's screaming. She was thrown to the ground. You get a shoot you, you get it. Sir. Sir, come here. This man just led police to a dead body. The victim, Amy Harwick, a celebrity sex therapist, was found lying unconscious under her third-story balcony. Officers were immediately suspicious of Amy's roommate, Michael Herman.

Hey, can I see your hands? Yeah. That's what I poked it on the climbing over the fence. Oh, okay, got it. I don't know, dude. Something's off. He might be a sudden, like, dude, because he's got blow. The blood on Michael's hands and the signs of struggle found inside Amy's bathroom made it clear

that this was a crime scene, and Michael is the prime suspect. Do you still hear screaming? I still heard screaming when I was leaving, I yelled up there, hey, motherfucker, because I wanted her to think I was coming upstairs that maybe he'd like stop and run. However, detectives began to have doubts. The further they investigated, the clearer it became that there was more to this crime than meets the eye. And as they dig deeper, they uncover that Amy had a history of troubled relationships and many people had it out for her.

But one relationship stood out from the rest, one that was plagued with stalking, violence, and abuse, leaving disturbing clues that would lead detectives to one deranged killer. I have so much I need to say. Please give me a chance to you say it, please. At 11.m. on February 15th, 2020, 911 received a harrowing call from Amy's roommate. I want to reduce Stanford at 434. Yes. Somebody just attacked my roommate.

We're at 2086 down street. Find anything. Okay. I was here that's it. What happened? See, I don't know. I was down there. I heard screaming. Please get a cop here.

Okay. Who's screaming inside? Um, see, I can speak right now. Amy, Amy Harwick. I mean, who is she to you, sir? She's my roommate. Okay. Is she screaming for help?

Yeah. Okay. Did you see anything? No. Okay. No, I heard her screaming and I heard her being- All right, so I'm gonna send out that somebody's screaming, okay, since you didn't see anything.

You don't know she's being attached. You're not sure. With sirens blaring, multiple law enforcement agents rushed to the scene. The information that they have as they arrive is limited. All they know is that there is a situation with a screaming woman and that somebody appears to be in danger. As soon as they arrive, Michael Herwin, Amy's roommate, is the first person to come into contact. Hey, sir. Hi.

I can help you. My roommate was attacked. I know it. I heard it. She's screaming. She was thrown to the ground. I couldn't find my phone. I couldn't find anything. Okay, hold on. Okay, so you have access to here?

No. Is there anybody else inside the house? My roommate. Just your roommate by yourself? Yes. You didn't check on her? Dude, I heard screaming. I don't know if that guy had a gun or a knife.

I came running trying to, I couldn't find my phone. So is there somebody else inside? Yes. I think there's somebody else. Okay, sir, do me a favor. Do me a favor? Calm down. Other than your roommate, is there anybody else inside the house?

I don't know. I don't know. So you didn't see anyone. I just heard her screaming. Have you called that? I'd be calling for her through his windows. Everybody's answering nothing. So where's your key at?

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Learn more at canada's wonderland.com. Provisors are responding to so we had to hop the fence. We're going to be at the rear of the location. 6.0.49.99. Sir, come here. Relax. Take a seat. Take a seat. We need it to me, damn. What was going on tonight?

I've been asleep all night. When officers move into the courtyard, there lies Amy Harwick, 20 feet beneath her third floor balcony, going into continuous seizures with glass surrounding her body. But she's having a seizure. Oh, Jesus. She was a lady. Amy lived in a relatively safe area in Hollywood Hills and was a well-known family and marriage therapist.

So her home being broken into was unusual, and whoever did it made sure she had a painful death. She was thrown off her balcony, resulting in several serious injuries. The trauma to the head was so severe that it had resulted in a sub-galyal and a subdual hemorrhage, sending her into continuous seizures. Not only that, but her neck showed signs that she had been strangled before falling off her balcony. Even though Amy started receiving urgent care, this situation was far from over. Not knowing whether the assailant is still in the house, officers began to breach and clear the ground floor. Do you know if there's anybody else inside the house?

I don't. I don't. Hey, what happened to you? Anyone else inside? This is the LAPD. come out with your hands up. Hey, somebody pat him down, please. Yep. He might be excited, because he's got a little bit.

Probably on this one on my couch. Anyone else inside? This LAPD. Come out with your hands up. Got you. Got you. Alright, so you guys can move up in unison. Ready?

On you guys. Just hold it. They're going to move up in unison. You're good, POSC. Whenever you guys are ready, go ahead. Go. Go, go, go. Go back here.

I got an open room. There's a balcony. I've got couches. Looks like a kitchen to the right. Unfortunately, the one responsible for Amy's condition has managed to escape. And as cops make their way through the home, they noticed that everything is organized and spotless, besides a few areas of interest. It's sticky.

Beads. This is urine. You have urine, but none of the bathroom. Amy's bedroom was a mess, with the covers thrown off and a pool of urine in the connecting bathroom. the connecting bathroom. Often when a victim is strangled, it results in the involuntary loss of bowel control. Moreover, officers would discover something strange. Right on the balcony from where Amy fell, a syringe filled with nicotine had fallen to the ground. Um, so there's a loaded syringe on this right here. Extreme doses of nicotine like the one found in this syringe

act as a poison, causing organs in the body to fail and slowly kill an individual as they suffer from vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, and severe abdominal pain. Strangely enough, these types of drugs were never even present in the home, and even if they were, Amy would never take them, as her roommate explains. A loaded Sir in, so... Sir, do you know her history of drug use? She's sober, she doesn't drink it, she didn't even drink. She doesn't even drink, she's sober.

So nobody in this house is doing drugs? I smoke pot and stuff, yeah. Okay, what do you mean that stuff? Smoke pot. That's it? That's it? Okay. So she's sober completely?

She's sober completely. How sure of that are you? I'm positive. I'm absolutely sure. I don't know, dude. Something's, something's off. That rig is loaded completely. It hasn't been used.

It hasn't been used. Hey, can I see your hands? Yeah. That's where I poked it on the climbing over the fence. Oh, okay, got it. So what about this one here? I don't know what that is. I guess from the fence, too.

Can you, can you pull your, can you pull your, sleeve back on this one? Okay. Oh, no, on this one right here. This one. When the weather cools down, Golden Nugget Online Casino turns up the heat.

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And did you see that? It's wrapped around on it? It's weird. Although Michael seems incredibly suspicious, finding out whether he's guilty comes second. The first priority is to ensure Amy's survival, who's condition was worsening by the second. Her pulse was nearly non-existent, and she was rushed to a nearby hospital, where it was determined that she had sustained many serious injuries since dropping about 20 feet from the balcony, including lacerations to her liver and brain damage. And despite the best attempts from doctors, Amy Harwick was soon pronounced dead.

The syringe filled with nicotine, Amy's injuries before the fall, and no missing items. These were all clues that this was not a burglary gone wrong, but a planned murder. For police, this would make sense because working as a specialized sex therapist and one that was very public with several shows and media presence at the time was risky. There could have been too many people who had it out for her, since therapists often have to deal with emotionally problematic and sometimes obsessive individuals. For now, though, Michael Herman was the only person around Amy when she was murdered, making him the first suspect.

Michael was already a suspicious individual as his frequent cannabis use led officers to believe that he had at least some knowledge of drugs and could be behind the nicotine syringe. But more telling was the fact that his arms were covered in blood and scratches, which made him look even more guilty.

So to get to the bottom of this, Michael was brought in for an interview where he would stay adamant about his innocence. Can you remember, do you still hear screaming? I still heard screaming. I mean, when I was living, and when we were at the house, you also... Because when I was yelling, because when I was leaving, I yelled up there, hey, mother, f*** really loud, because I wanted her to think I was coming upstairs,

that maybe he'd, like, stop and run, you know, that was... He would know that he's not in the house, but just two of them. Right, right, right, right. And I didn't know if it was like, you know, it was multiple people. You know, I just didn't know. And, and, um, I just hope that that would, like, that they would make the person flee. Michael claims that after returning home, he heard screams from inside the house, and then shouted loudly to scare off the potential attacker.

He then entered the home to find the front door open and Amy Harwick's body on the ground. He immediately called 911 and attempted to provide aid while waiting for emergency responders. Not only does Michael fully cooperate with law enforcement, but he also has a solid alibi and witness testimonies supporting his account. Additionally, there is no forensic evidence linking Michael to the crime. Still, detectives can't rule out Michael just yet, as there are no other suspects, and nobody had seen anyone outside of Michael enter or leave the building. But this is when police received footage from a nearby ring doorbell camera,

a crucial piece of evidence that would turn the entire case upside down. When the cops looked at the footage, they saw Michael come running out of the home, trying to wake up the neighbors and call for help. This was exactly what he told them he had done, which confirms the fact that he was likely only a witness to all of this. But the camera also picks up someone else at the scene. A strange male figure wearing gloves, hopping fences, and running through backyards. In many cases, this man can even be seen covering cameras with a gloved hand.

Undeniably, this masked individual was the one responsible for this murder, but finding out who this could be was difficult. As they began looking into her life, there were very few people who wanted to hurt her. She was on good terms with her family and friends and had almost no enemies. So police began to believe that this may have been a case of one of Amy's past relationships coming back to haunt her. But yet again, almost all of her boyfriends came up clean. All but one of them. Gareth Pursehouse, a man who was reported by Amy's friends to be an obsessive ex-lover and someone who had previously stalked her.

But before officers look into Gareth, they decide to consolidate all of the evidence they have first. Because of the presence of the syringe filled with pure nicotine, detectives believe that whoever broke into Amy's apartment intended to kill her by injecting her with the syringe, but that their plans somehow went awry. Amy began resisting, and a physical altercation occurred that would be proven by a black rosary that Amy had been wearing around her neck. Beads of this rosary were found trailing all the way from her bedroom to the balcony. Not only that, a black leather jacket that was turned inside out was also discovered at the scene,

It is likely that the attacker snuck up behind her, grabbed her by her jacket, and a struggle ensued. The attacker then likely choked Amy, dragged her out to the balcony, and threw her over the top. With all of this in mind, officers began looking for somebody who would want to hurt Amy in this manner. Undeniably, the masked individual was responsible for the murder. However, identifying them could be challenging because, despite being a well-known public figure, Amy had no known enemies. Police start their investigation by questioning friends and family of Amy looking for any clues on who could have committed this heinous crime,

and it wouldn't take long for them to get a strong lead. Amy's friends revealed to police that about a month before her murder, they began receiving concerning messages from Amy. She expressed fear for her life, mentioning that she had recently encountered a stalker. A stalker, which, it would turn out, she had an abusive relationship with a decade prior. 41-year-old photographer Gareth Purse House

Amy and Gareth had met 10 years earlier in 2011 when Gareth had worked as a photographer on a therapy event Amy attended. They dated briefly, but Amy's friends took note of the relationship being far from normal. In May of 2011, Amy tried to file a restraining order for the abuse she suffered in the relationship. Gareth often suffocated her, slamming her against the walls, dropped her on the ground, and punched her. Yet, somehow, this order was denied, as authorities believed there was a lack of evidence. Of course, this meant a quick end to the relationship, at least for Amy.

This was unacceptable for Gareth, as he started obsessing heavily over Amy, and his emotional state worsened. But Amy was the one who'd have to face the brunt of Gareth's mental decline. In the months after the breakup, weird occurrences began happening at Amy's residence. She would walk into her home to find picture frames were smashed. Sometimes there would be roses taped to her front door, and on other occasions, Gareth would refuse to leave her doorstep for hours. A year later, in 2012, Amy tried to file another restraining order against Gareth because he had once again assaulted her and dragged her out of a car.

Fortunately, this time, the order would be approved by a judge barring Gareth from seeing Amy for five years. However, according to her closest friends, Gareth's behavior became even more creepy and intense in the years after the restraining order was issued. If Gareth couldn't see her physically, he'd tarnish her reputation on every one of Amy's social media pages. Every single time she posted, she would get derogatory comments and all of her publications in her field as a therapist would get bombarded with comments criticizing and degrading her

work. But things would take a turn for the worst one month before Amy's murder. On January 17, 2020, Amy was attending the X-Biz Awards, where she was a panelist of an organization called Pineapple Support, which was meant to focus on therapy related to workers in the sex industry. However, as Amy was having drinks before her segment began, she would hear a familiar voice, Gareth's voice, who was working as a photographer at the event. At this point in time, Amy had not seen Gareth in nearly a decade, yet he would approach Amy, angry and upset, saying that she ruined his life. One of Amy's friends would outline what the two talked about as Amy called him for help.

The first phone call, when she called, I couldn't hear. It was a lot of loud commotion. It was chaotic, so I couldn't understand, and I hopped up. And then 30 seconds later, I received another phone call from her as well. And all I could hear amongst the chaos or the sounds that were the loud sounds was get the F over here. Initially seeing them walk away, I first checked in with my friend who called me, and she told me, this guy is freaking out on your friend. So I then walked over to where the two of them had walked to.

As I was walking towards them, the only words I heard was, ruin my life, you bitch. After this event, Amy was extremely scared of Gareth and told friends and family that if anything happened to her, Gareth would be responsible. and he had sent her voice messages after the event. I have so much I need to say. Please give me a chance to just say it, please. And her concerns were proven to be true because when officers matched a picture of Gareth to the man seen on the ring doorbell footage on the night of the murder, it was an exact match.

But for authorities to be sure that Gareth is the same man they're looking for, they needed to search his home. Obtaining the warrant itself was not harmful. because the sheer amount of evidence against Gareth gave officers reasonable suspicion to do so. However, this suspicion would soon turn into shock as syringes filled with nicotine were discovered in Gareth's home, exactly like the one found on Amy's balcony. Not only that, but Gareth himself had sustained injuries on his body and had bloody clothes scattered all over the home. But there was one piece of evidence that proved to be a definitive breakthrough in this case. A DNA comparison between the fingernail scrapings of Amy's body and Gareth would turn up an exact match.

Detectives knew that this was exactly the man they were looking for. So by about 5 o'clock p.m., the day after the murder, the cops locate and approach Gareth purse house. In the face of Gareth's history with Amy and him being caught on camera, officers decide to charge him with Amy's murder. While sitting in jail awaiting a murder trial, Gareth doesn't show an ounce of remorse. In fact, while on a jailhouse phone call with some of his buddies, he cracks jokes and makes light of the whole situation. He even tells them that, due to the public's interest in him, they could become millionaires by selling old jokes he told while working as a stand-up comic. But this is far from the strangest thing, he says.

Turn those into a book. Try to find, right now, actually, try to find a publisher that will give you money ahead of time for that. Just based on my name because of the media. Like, that could be a million bucks. I don't know. But I do have a joke for you. What's the most feminine candy bar? Huh.

Hershey's. Well, at least you have your sense of humor. You're making the best of it in there. Yeah. Well, and people are posting, like, crazy hate. None of it's like, why bother? So you said you're not getting out. Correct.

Ever. Is that what you're trying to say? Yes. I've seen what's coming at me and it's not good. I'm not getting out. Super fun. Gareth Purse House has made it very clear that he believes he is going down for Amy's murder, and he has completely accepted that.

One could likely assume that if this man were not truly guilty of this horrific crime, he would not be speaking this way. Despite this, Gareth was bonded out of jail before his trial began, but Gareth was certainly panicking. because right after he was released on bond, the first place he visited was Los Angeles International Airport to escape the country. Normally, a person who has their bond posted is not allowed next to any airports or borders to prevent them from leaving the country. And if they're found doing so, they're arrested immediately and given no chance for a second bond. Exactly what would happen to Gareth as he was arrested once more.

The trial of Gareth Purse House began in August of 2003. The defense claims that Gareth was only there to talk to Amy and that her death was an accident. They also argued that while Gareth had brought that syringe filled with nicotine to the scene, he had only intended it to be used for his own side. But the prosecution took a different approach and painted Gareth as an obsessive killer. She rejected his advances. She cut off all the content. And to punish her for that, he broke into her house on Valentine's hosting.

He broke in there with a syringe loaded with a lethal dose of nickets. The prosecution's argument was solid. However, they had a major point that they would have to prove if they wanted to get a guilty verdict. That point was that Gareth came to Amy's apartment on the evening of February 15th, 2020, with the intention of killing her,

not just to have a conversation, as the defense alleged. The defense also suggested that Amy may have ended up on the concrete below the balcony while attempting to get away from Gareth out of fear. One likely scenario for how Ms. Harwick came to rest where she lived in the patio is that she comes home and counters Mr. Purshaus. In a panic, she runs through her bedroom, to her balcony, climbs up and over the ravine, attempts to lower herself or climb down,

and is unsuccessful to fall. Throughout the entire trial, Gareth Purshaus never once took the stand to test on his own behalf. Most legal experts will say that this is something that can be very telling to a jury. After all, if an innocent person has nothing to hide, then it is suspicious that he wouldn't speak out to defend himself. But whether or not the jury in this case will see things his way, only time will tell. After finishing the deliberation process, the jury in this case reached their decision in September of 2003. a murder in the first degree. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I'll use your verdicts. So say you

want, so say you all. Yes. Thank you. And just like that, Gareth Purshouse was officially convicted of the murder of Amy Harwick. The only thing left was for Gareth to finally be sentenced. Gareth Purse House was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.