Garry Dean Artman

Serial Killer

Garry Dean Artman: Convicted Murderer and Confessed Serial Killer

Garry Dean Artman was an American long-haul truck driver, convicted murderer, and confessed serial killer whose identification brought renewed attention to a series of killings and disappearances involving women in and around Grand Rapids, Michigan, during the 1990s. Artman was ultimately convicted of the 1996 sexual assault and murder of Sharon Kay Hammack, was DNA-linked and charged with the 2006 murder of Dusty Myriah Shuck in Maryland, and provided information before his death that investigators said connected him to the disappearance and presumed murder of Cathleen Dennis. In his final weeks, Artman claimed responsibility for numerous additional killings, although investigators were unable to conclusively match most of his statements to individual victims. The full number of women murdered by Artman remains uncertain. Initial reports following his death stated that he confessed to 11 murders in total, including Hammack and Shuck, with most of the others occurring in Grand Rapids. Later examination of recordings of his December 2023 confession revealed that, when specifically asked how many women he had killed in Grand Rapids, Artman suggested investigators look for 11. If interpreted literally and combined with Shuck's Maryland murder, his claims could represent as many as 12 victims. His failing health, fragmented memory, contradictory statements, and lack of specific information prevented investigators from verifying such a total.

Early Sexual Violence and Imprisonment

Artman's history of serious violence against women began decades before authorities identified him as a murderer. In 1981, when he was in his twenties, he was convicted in Michigan of criminal sexual conduct after violent sexual attacks involving teenage girls. The attacks reportedly involved the use of a knife. Artman spent approximately 11 years in the Michigan prison system before being released in 1992. After his release, Artman lived for a period in the Grand Rapids area. He stayed near Division Avenue, a corridor that at the time included bars, inexpensive hotels, drug activity, and street-based sex work. Beginning in late 1993, women connected to the Division Avenue area began disappearing or turning up dead in Grand Rapids and surrounding communities. Many of the cases remained unsolved for decades. Artman eventually became a long-haul truck driver. His occupation allowed him to travel extensively throughout the United States, including routes stretching from Florida to California. That mobility would later become an important concern for investigators, particularly after DNA connected murders separated by approximately ten years and hundreds of miles.

The Murder of Sharon Kay Hammack

The crime that ultimately exposed Artman as a killer occurred on October 3, 1996. Sharon Kay Hammack, a 29-year-old mother of two who was also pregnant, was sexually assaulted and murdered in Kent County, Michigan. Her body was discovered the same day along 76th Street SE between Patterson Avenue and Kraft Avenue in Caledonia Township. Hammack had been restrained, sexually assaulted, stabbed, and strangled. Her hands and feet had been bound, and her body was wrapped in a blanket before being abandoned along the road. Biological evidence was recovered, but forensic technology available in 1996 could not identify the killer. The case remained unresolved for more than a quarter century. Investigators preserved DNA evidence from Hammack's body and the material surrounding her. Years later, the unidentified DNA profile was connected to DNA from another unsolved homicide, the killing of Dusty Shuck in Maryland. Although investigators knew that the same unidentified man appeared to be connected with both women, they still did not know his name. The breakthrough eventually came through forensic genetic genealogy. Investigators used genealogical research to narrow the unknown DNA profile to members of the Artman family. Garry Artman's history and movements immediately drew attention because he had lived in Michigan when Hammack was murdered and had an extensive criminal history involving sexual violence. Artman was arrested in Mississippi in August 2022. A direct DNA sample confirmed the connection investigators had been pursuing. Trial testimony later established that his DNA was associated with evidence recovered from Hammack, including material from her body, beneath her fingernails, and from the blanket in which she had been wrapped. ...

Confirmed Victims: (2)

Sharon Hammack Age: (29), Date of Death: 1996-10-03

Suspected Victims:

Cathleen Dennis Age: (28), Date of Death: 1995-07

Shelly Rae Kephart Christian Age: (29), Date of Death: 1994-11-06

Linda Sue McHugh Age: (29), Date of Death: 1993-12-13

Convicted murderer Garry Artman interviewed on his deathbed as ...