In Jackson, MI – what led a local chef to commit a crime so horrifying it shook an entire community? In this episode of Shall We Brew?, we delve into the chilling story of the “Deep Fry Killer”—a case where brain surgery, cannabis psychosis, and years of tension all come under the spotlight. Pour yourself a cup, settle in, and uncover the shocking truth behind this jaw-dropping case.
It’s important to understand that just because certain sources are referenced, it doesn’t imply that their information was utilized. We strive to rely on the most credible and trustworthy sources available.
Articles:
https://www.theoaklandpress.com/2009/02/26/no-new-trial-for-mich-man-who-killed-cooked-wife/
https://mdocweb.state.mi.us/OTIS2/otis2profile.aspx?mdocNumber=362963
https://murderpedia.org/male.A/a/artz-kevin-lloyd.htm
https://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/2016/03/man_who_bludgeoned_wife_to_dea.html
https://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/2008/12/man_convicted_of_cutting_up_wi.html
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6420715/
Poststroke psychosis: a systematic review
Watch:
Heartland Homicide Season 1 Ep. 3
If the walls of your local restaurant could talk, what secrets would they reveal? Perhaps staff conflicts.. Or arguments between family members if it’s a family owned restaurant. Maybe money troubles, late-night chaos, hidden recipes even… Kip’s Pizza and Tacos wasn’t just a restaurant; it was a beloved staple in Jackson, Michigan. It’s very much a mom and pop business. In the front of the building it’s a restaurant with an apartment connected in the back, making the everyday commute almost non-existent. A couple owned the business; Kip worked as the chef and Patty worked the front of the house. Greeting customers, she would take people to their tables, and take their orders. No one thought the walls of this local dining spot had any secrets to reveal until a police officer see’s newspapers with brown drippings… like watered blood.. In the kitchen of Kips Pizza and Tacos.
This episode contains graphic descriptions of violence, dismemberment, and mental health issues that some listeners may find disturbing. Listener discretion is strongly advised.
Welcome to Shall We Brew? I’m your host Hayley. Here we talk about true crime, bizarre stories, and shocking scandals all while honoring the voices of victims. Pour yourself a cup and settle in, because once we start brewing…the truth can’t be unsipped.
Patricia Ann Artz, also known as Patty, was born on February 25th, 1951. She’s described as someone who always made time for family, despite having a busy schedule. She would regularly call her sisters almost daily. Patty ends up meeting Kevin Artz who is also known as ‘’Kip” in the 80’s. She has a daughter from a previous abusive marriage. The pair ended up getting married in 1987 and did not have any children together. They reside in the heart of Jackson. The area is described as a quaint city in south-central Michigan with rich history, it’s also named after President Andrew Jackson.
The couple ran Kip’s Pizza and Tacos in downtown Jackson. According to those who knew the couple, they seemed happy and rarely argued. They shared a passion for their restaurant and their love for culinary arts was genuine as well as reflected in their business. Their shared interests oftentimes took them to interesting places when they were able to take time away from their business.
On June 20th, 1999 – Kip and Patty decide to have a pig roast.. Patty was unhappy about it since the restaurant was not doing great. Kip had bought bug-infested corn and they had spread in the kitchen; which meant they had to close the restaurant in order to remove the bugs.
Just shortly after Kip started to experience headaches and other symptoms – he was feeling bad enough that Patty urged him to see the doctor. They learn he has a blood clot in his brain and he needs emergency brain surgery. Kips recovery in the hospital went smoothly and he was sent home on July 2nd. However, friends of Kip confirmed after leaving the hospital he was not able to talk, read or write, and he was supposed to attend speech therapy in the weeks after surgery. It was entirely up to Patty to take care of Kip after surgery, she’s having to care for him during recovery, take care of the business, not to mention everyday chores around their residence.
This next part is only one person’s version of events.. Just remember the only other person is no longer alive. On July 13th, 1999 – the two were napping on the couch when all of a sudden Kip wakes up and sees a demon beside him. He’s terrified and grabs the first thing within reach… a heavy metal bar. Kip starts hitting the demon. The next minute he realizes it’s Patty laying on the couch with a violent blow to her head. Kip is thinking ‘’how the fuck am I going to explain this?’’
Instead of calling police – Kip places Patty’s limp body into a sleeping bag, then drags her to their restaurant kitchen. Apparently their apartment was attached to the restaurant and they also had sold their car two days prior due to closing the restaurant and medical bills piling on.
First Kip dismembers her body, then proceeds to take the body parts to boil and bake in hopes of concealing the murder. The restaurant had remained closed for several days, so he had the kitchen all to himself. He worked two days to destroy evidence.
Patty’s sisters notice that she hasn’t called in several days, and this is unlike her. The sisters go over to Patty and Kip’s residence to check on her. After all, Kip is recovering from brain surgery so they just want to make sure everything is okay. They knock on the door… (knock knock knock sound)…. Kip opens the door and explains “Patty is not home.. In fact she actually took the car and went to go visit someone.” Red flags are going off everywhere, her sisters know they just sold the car. The sisters alert the police and request a welfare check.
On July 15th 1999 – the police arrived at the Artz residence. As they start walking up they notice Kip walking out of the house with a white box.. Kip scurry’s to put the box on a vacant property next door. Kip appears visibly nervous during a conversation with the police. The officer asks about Patty and Kip tells him the same story. “The last time I saw her she took our car and left.” Kip reluctantly lets the officer take a look around the restaurant and as Wayne Bisard (the officer) scopes the mom and pop restaurant; he’s pretty convinced “something is wrong here”.
He leaves the restaurant apartment and returns with a detective named Thomas Fiero – as they pull up they notice Kip outside the restaurant carrying the white box and then he disappears around the corner. They catch up to Kip and now the box is gone… Wayne goes through the restaurant a second time… This time the scene is different. Right beside the oven, there are newspapers with brown drippings… like watered blood from fresh meat. In the kitchen sink, the water is running onto a pan, and in the pan he can see some sort of cooked material. Thomas walks over to the sink and as he’s turning the water off he recognizes the smell…. Burnt flesh. The white box was then recovered from the porch next door.. They open the box and see charred bones, and a human head…
The police arrest Kip on the spot since the evidence suggests he was destroying a body.
The appeal states: “The evidence established that defendant killed the victim in the apartment, perhaps by hitting her in the head with a heavy object. He then placed her body inside a sleeping bag and took it from the apartment to the restaurant. Defendant subsequently cleaned the living room area of the apartment, washing the carpets and couch cushions. He also moved the furniture to conceal spots on the carpet. Luminol tests revealed the presence of blood in the apartment. It was heaviest on the carpet near the couch. The victim’s DNA was found on the dining room table, on the tile in the apartment, on the restaurant floor, in the restaurant sinks, in the sleeping bag, and in defendant’s fingernail scrapings. It was undisputed that defendant dismembered the victim’s body and then baked the bones and boiled or cooked the remainder.”
The police were able to confirm the head belonged to Patty through DNA collected from the teeth.
The trial for the murder of Patricia Artz began in January of 2001. The defense claimed that Kip was mentally insane and not responsible for his actions and basically said it was from the brain surgery.. The defense presented two experts who testified that Kip was legally insane at the time of the murder. Edward Cook, a neuropsychologist testified that Kip had an organic psychotic condition and because of his mental illness he lacked the ability to understand the wrongfulness of his actions. Edward Cook believed Kip was mentally insane before and after the murder and believes Kip struck Patty believing she was the devil. Another doctor believed that Kip’s cerebral bleed was a deep, destructives, severe stroke that affected his ability to think in a logical manner.
The prosecution presented evidence to rebut the insanity defense. The neurosurgeon who performed Kip’s surgery testified that Kip had a cerebral hematoma on the left temporal lobe of his brain, which controls speech. The doctor also goes on to say Kip’s thinking was not impaired only the conversion of thought to speech was impaired. However he did acknowledge the existence of a hospital note stating Kip had a hallucination within a day or two after surgery, but this was not an uncommon occurrence for a patient recovering from deep anesthesia.
The prosecution was also able to support finding of premeditation and deliberation. There was evidence that Kip and Patty had marital difficulties. In 1992, Patty had consulted with a divorce attorney, Patty had told the lawyer there was physical and emotional abuse in the marriage. About 2 and a half years before she was killed Patty had told a friend that Kip had tried to suffocate her with a pillow.
Also right after Kip had returned home from the surgery he went to garden… I’m not talking about literally. This had made Patty angry.. Because by this time they were having money problems.
Patty was not happy about the pig roast held nine days before he went into the hospital, because of the expense. Patty and Kip had tried to fumigate the kitchen restaurant themselves, and Kip was pretty convinced the bug spray had triggered his brain hemmorage. There were several people to corroborate that Kip was in fact angry with Patty over the exposure to the bug spray.
The prosecutor provided evidence from July 1998. That Kip had talked to David Whiting and indicated that he wanted Patty to ‘’come up missing.’’ Kip had asked David if he knew anyone who could do it. In 1998 Kip complained to Patty’s son-in-law Virgil that Patty knew how to push his buttons. Kip had asked Virgil if he ever got so mad about his own wife that he felt like killing her or having her killed. Kip had also pondered about how much it would cost to find a killer. After the surgery Kip told Virgil that Patty was treating him like a child, like he was stupid.
In the early 80’s while Kip was having a conversion with his good friend about the capture of a famous serial killer. During the conversation Kip used a low voice and stated that he could commit the perfect murder by cutting up the person, boiling the meat so the corpse would not stink. Then he could throw the meat in a dumpster.
The insanity defense was rejected. The judge confirmed Kip had planned the murder, possibly because of frequent arguments over his use of marijuana. In February 2001 Kevin Artz was found guilty of first degree murder. On March 15th of 2001 he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
However in 2008 Kip Artz requested a new trial. This time he claims he suffered from marijuana psychosis in 1999. But this appeal was denied since the court transcripts from the previous trial showed that Kip’s defense attorney pointed out that the marijuana use didn’t cause him to commit murder. He allegedly didn’t smoke enough to go into psychosis. He’s filed several appeal and all have been rejected. He is currently serving his life sentence at the Richard A Handlon Correctional Facility in Michigan.
Neighbors were initially shocked by the news. A neighbor had stated “It’s pretty creepy. We were laying sleeping in our beds, you know, 100 yards away while he was doing that,” “I don’t know. We were pretty upset about it. Even now to this day it’s kind of hard to think about it. Thinking that she went through that.”
Some of the neighbors said him going insane was the only explanation they could accept. The cops were never called to the house, there were never any domestic disturbances. They were also happy the restaurant had been transformed into an entirely different business.
So, what do you think drove Kevin to commit this horrible act? Comment below and let me know your thoughts. One thing is certain—Patty’s life was cut short in the most unimaginable way.
Thank you for joining me on this journey. Until next time, stay curious and stay safe… I’ll see you next week.
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