GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – A convicted killer named Garry Artman reportedly made two unusual requests before confessing to murdering nearly a dozen women in Grand Rapids thirty years ago, according to sources familiar with the case. The long-haul trucker, who passed away from lung cancer on December 28, allegedly demanded his own prison cell and a ham sandwich with double meat from Subway.
Investigators are not commenting publicly on Artman’s case as they work to verify the details of his confession. However, the Kent County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that investigators met with Artman three times after he contacted prison administrators to discuss “bodies.”
Artman was convicted in September 2023 for the 1996 murder of Sharon Hammack. At his sentencing, he had angrily denied the killing. However, as Artman neared death in a prison hospital, he reportedly confessed to killing 11 women, including Hammack and Dusty Shuck in 2006 in Maryland.
Based on details provided in his confession, investigators believe Artman may have killed Cathleen Dennis in Grand Rapids in 1995. Both Hammack and Dennis were among 17 women who were murdered or went missing from the area from late 1993 to late 1996.
Retired FBI profiler Julia Cowley mentioned in an interview with Target 8 that Artman used the impersonal term “bodies” when reaching out to investigators, which she found notable. She discussed the motivation behind deathbed confessions, suggesting that it can stem from a simple desire for companionship or food.
Cowley also spoke about how serial killers select their victims and explore whether they’re known to abstain from killing for extended periods of time, as Artman claimed. The key to understanding Artman’s case involves investigating his past actions and connections to the murdered women, as well as examining his motivations for confessing only at the end of his life.