A Poulsbo man has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the 2024 killing of his girlfriend inside her Bremerton home, closing out a case that began with a bizarre freeway crash spree before investigators even realized a murder had occurred. Stephen Harvey entered the guilty plea on August 10, resolving a prosecution that stretched back roughly two and a half years to a chaotic February night in Kitsap County.
The Bremerton Police Department detailed the case resolution in a case update posted to Facebook, crediting a wide roster of personnel and agencies for the investigation. According to the Bremerton Police Department, Officer Murphy was the first to arrive at the victim’s home and discovered that she had been murdered inside. Crime scene technicians Slade and Murry assisted detectives with collecting and processing evidence, according to the department, with evidence collection occurring both at the victim’s home and at the coroner’s office.
The victim was 45-year-old Andrea R. “Andy” Gaudette, a Product Support Manager at Avalara who lived in the 5000 block of 5th Street in Bremerton, according to King 5 News. Gaudette was reported missing after a concerned coworker called 911 to request a welfare check when she failed to show up for work, per the Bremerton Police Department’s update. That welfare check led Officer Murphy to the discovery of her body.
Security Footage Captured the Final Struggle
Court documents described Harvey as Gaudette’s boyfriend in a relationship acquaintances called “volatile” and “contentious,” with people close to the couple reporting he had been emotionally abusive before the two moved into separate residences, as reported by the Bainbridge Island Review. Court records noted there were no formal prior domestic violence police reports filed between the two. King 5 News reported that security footage recovered from Gaudette’s home system showed Harvey shouting inside the house while she repeatedly ordered him to leave, ending with Harvey violently pushing her off-camera roughly 15 minutes before he fled…