CALEDONIA TOWNSHIP, Mich — A Florida man accused of assaulting and killing two women is now behind bars in West Michigan.
Records reveal that Garry Dean Artman is currently listed as an inmate at the Kent County Jail.
Artman, 64, is accused in the 1996 murder of Shannon Hammack, who authorities say was sexually assaulted and murdered in Caledonia Township.
READ MORE: Florida man arrested in Caledonia Township cold case
The Kent County Prosecutor's Office has authorized both murder charges and first-degree sexual assault charges for Artman, who has previously served an 11-year sentence with the Michigan Department of Corrections for first-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Kent County Sheriff Michelle Lajoye-Young said that advancements in DNA technology through Identifiers International made a break in the case possible.
READ MORE: DNA search helps close 26-year-old cold case
The DNA technology also revealed links between Artman and another murder, one that happened in Maryland in 2006. Police discovered that the victim was in Ontario, California shortly before her body turned up in Maryland. Artman was also cited by police in Ontario, CA, around the same time the victim was seen there and shortly before her body turned up in Maryland, bearing Artman's DNA.
Now that Artman is in Michigan, police say that his DNA will be tested and cross-referenced with other cold cases in Kent County.y
READ MORE: Kent County officials to host press conference on cold case arrest
