Sunday, February 23, 2020

Amie Harwick murder brings renewed demands for stronger stalking, domestic violence laws

Dr. Amie Harwick was as amazingly talented, intelligent and loving as she was beautiful. She was once engaged to Drew Carey. She was murdered by her stalker a few weeks ago on Valentine's Day, in her home in Los Angeles. Her story is compelling, and because she was well known, it helps to shed light on a serious problem in our society. I know it is a dark and uncomfortable subject, but important to learn about and understand. Most of us know or have known people who were stalked, harassed and even murdered, like my cousin Patricia Gilmore was in 1979, right after I arrived in California.

After years of stalking by her ex-boyfriend, he got out of the state mental hospital on a Christmas furlough to see his kids. She was not notified even though he was in there for threatening her life. He went straight to her home, abducted her at gunpoint in front of her younger siblings, drove off and and murdered her with a machete. She was 26. It was the first televised trial in Massachusetts history.

I had a friend in California who was stalked by an unknown person. She wore wigs and disguises to work, but eventually had to work from home. Several other women in the office building were also stalked, before they discovered a guy working at the in-house copy center was behind it all. My friend, who was happily married, simply turned down a date request.

Often the stalker feels slighted or that their life has been ruined, and they seek revenge. The women who are victimized and threatened consequently live in fear and find little support or sympathy or even help from police. We need laws that better protect these women, and they need a support network of friends and family who can be there for them and watch out for them. ~PB

Amie Harwick murder brings renewed demands for stronger stalking, domestic violence laws

The Hollywood therapist was devoted to helping people.
Did the system do enough to protect her from her alleged killer?


cbsnews.com
Amie Harwick murder brings renewed demands for stronger stalking, domestic violence laws

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