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.
The Bremerton Police Department's update noted that the victim fought back against Harvey during the attack, and that the struggle resulted in the recovery of DNA evidence. Investigators said the DNA profile collected during the investigation matched Harvey.
A Crash Spree on State Route 3
Just 11 minutes after leaving Gaudette's home, Harvey struck at least 10 vehicles along State Route 3 near Poulsbo, attempted to open the doors of moving cars on the highway, and climbed into the bed of a stranger's pickup truck before deputies caught up with him, King 5 News reported. The pickup's driver called 911 and pulled over near Finn Hill Road so deputies could make the arrest, according to the station's report. Harvey was arrested in the Poulsbo area, and the Bremerton Police Department's update noted he was involved in a suspected DUI collision and exhibited erratic behavior in the aftermath.
Arresting officers observed Harvey acting “manic,” sweating profusely, and swinging rapidly between rage and tears, which prompted investigators to obtain a warrant for a mandatory blood draw at St. Michael Medical Center on suspicion of drug impairment, the Bainbridge Island Review reported. Harvey reportedly refused field sobriety testing before that hospital blood draw. He had already been booked into the Kitsap County Jail in Port Orchard the morning after the freeway collisions, according to KIRO 7 News Seattle, meaning detectives ultimately connected him to Gaudette's murder while he was already in custody on the traffic-related charges.
Multiple Agencies, One Coordinated Case
The Bremerton Police Department's update said the investigation involved detectives, patrol officers, and coordination with the Poulsbo Police Department, the Washington State Patrol, and the King County Sheriff's Office, alongside numerous search warrants executed by investigators. The case spanned residential Bremerton, State Route 3, and Poulsbo roads, requiring the kind of multi-agency response the Bainbridge Island Review highlighted in its own coverage of the crime spree.
Harvey's criminal history in Kitsap County predates this case by more than a decade. He was previously convicted of vehicular homicide following a 2008 drunk-driving crash that killed a 34-year-old mother, resulting in a 41-month prison sentence handed down in 2009, according to the Bainbridge Island Review. He was also facing a pending 2022 DUI charge at the time of his 2024 arrest in Gaudette's killing.
Charges, Bail, and the Statutory Penalty
A Kitsap County judge initially set Harvey's bail at $2 million after prosecutors charged him with second-degree murder with a domestic violence enhancement, felony DUI, reckless driving, and three counts of hit-and-run, King 5 News reported. Domestic violence enhancements can extend sentencing ranges under Washington state law.
Second-degree murder under Revised Code of Washington 9A.32.050 is a Class A felony covering intentional killings without premeditation, carrying a maximum sentence of up to life imprisonment and a standard baseline range of 123 to 220 months for a defendant with no prior criminal score, according to Black & Askerov. The Bremerton Police Department's update confirmed the guilty plea resolved the murder case, though it did not specify the terms of the plea agreement, whether any of the hit-and-run counts were folded into it, or a formal sentencing date, which remain unresolved as of this report.
