GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Before his death, convicted killer Garry Artman made two unusual requests – a private prison cell and a ham sandwich from Subway with double meat – before confessing to the murders of nearly a dozen women in Grand Rapids three decades ago, according to sources familiar with the case.
Artman, who died from lung cancer on Dec. 28, made these demands at the age of 66, prompting detectives to work on corroborating the details of his confession. The Kent County Sheriff’s Office had previously met with Artman three times after he contacted prison administrators to talk about “bodies.”
The over-the-road trucker had been previously convicted in September 2023 for the rape, stabbing, strangling, and binding of Sharon Hammack, a 29-year-old woman who was pregnant and the mother of two young children. The jury took only 30 minutes to convict him for this heinous crime.
Before his death, Artman reportedly confessed to killing 11 women in total, including Hammack in 1996 and Dusty Shuck, 24, in 2006 in Maryland. Based on information from Artman’s confession, investigators are confident he also killed Cathleen Dennis, 28, in Grand Rapids in July 1995.
Retired FBI profiler Julia Cowley noted that in Artman’s case, he may have confessed in an attempt to benefit himself, given his self-centered nature. She explained that deathbed confessions could be motivated by various factors, including religious orientation or a simple desire for companionship.
In a podcast interview, Cowley shared her insights on deathbed confessions, shedding light on the complex motivations that may drive a killer to confess at the end of their life. This case adds a layer of intrigue to the decades-old mystery of the missing and murdered women in Grand Rapids.
The case of Garry Artman sheds new light on a dark chapter in Grand Rapids’ history, raising questions about the motivations behind deathbed confessions and the nature of criminal behavior. It also serves as a reminder to continue seeking justice for the victims and closure for their families.