Naman Shrestha
On March 26, 1986, Michella Welch took her younger sisters to a nearby park in Tacoma, Washington. However, it turned into a tragic day for her family and the entire community as she was found dead later in the day. After decades of investigation, the authorities determined that the bright 12-year-old girl was sexually assaulted and killed by Gary Hartman. The episode titled ‘Evil Was Watching’ of NBC’s ‘Dateline’ chronicles the entire case and the extensive investigation that ensued in a detailed manner, with the help of exclusive interviews with Michella’s loved ones and the officials involved in the investigation.
Gary Hartman Kidnapped Michella Welch From a Park and Killed Her
Born in the early 1950s, Gary Charles Hartman seemingly had a difficult childhood, with both his parents reportedly giving him a taste of alcohol and drugs from an early age. It has been alleged that his father would feed him alcohol to “make him a man,” while his mother made him dependent on pills around the age of 10. Gary was also allegedly subjected to domestic abuse and sexual assault in his childhood. No one could have imagined that he would grow up to brutally take the life of a 12-year-old girl named Michella Welch on March 26, 1986. When she went missing from Puget Park in Tacoma, Washington, while playing with her two younger sisters, her family informed the police, who launched a search for the pre-teen girl.
After kidnapping Michella, Gary sexually assaulted her and proceeded to kill her. He then disposed of her remains about a quarter mile from the park, near a makeshift fire pit. That same night, her remains were discovered with the help of a search dog. The authorities concluded that she died from a cut to the neck and blunt force trauma to the head. While the detectives investigated, Gary continued living in Pierce County, Washington. In 1989, he reportedly managed to get sober and earned a license as a registered nurse. Over the following decades, he reportedly married four times and became a father to two daughters. In 2018, Gary was working at Western State Hospital as a community nurse specialist, responsible for helping discharged patients get back into society.
After more than three decades of investigation, the authorities managed to link Gary to Michella’s murder with the help of a DNA sample from the crime scene. They got a big break in the case when genealogy pointed the detectives to Gary and his younger brother, both of whom lived a few miles away from Puget Park at the time of the murder. They surveilled the brothers’ movements and collected their DNA by following them to different restaurants. A few weeks later, it was revealed that Gary’s DNA matched the DNA sample found on Michella’s remains. On June 20, 2018, he was arrested during a traffic stop in Lakewood, Washington, and charged with first-degree murder and first-degree rape of 12-year-old Michella Welch.
Gary Hartman is Currently Incarcerated at a Washington State Prison Facility
On March 22, 2022, Gary Hartman’s bench trial commenced. During the short and intense trial, the prosecutors presented DNA evidence incriminating the defendant. Meanwhile, the defense portrayed Gary as a victim of abuse by talking about the alleged abuse he received during his childhood. The defense attorney stated, “His mental health and his addiction was so severe that he convinced himself he did not do this. He woke up at some point in the county jail with the realization that he was the one who committed this atrocious act.” After nearly two hours, Gary Hartman was found guilty of first-degree murder and rape in connection with Michella Welch’s 1986 killing.
The convict apologized after hearing the verdict, saying, “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. God knows I’m so sorry. That doesn’t help. I’m just sorry.” Before his sentencing, Michella’s loved ones were given a chance to take the stand and address the court. Her mother, Barbara Leonard, stated, “I say ‘lock him up and throw away the key. And now he will pay the price, however it will not bring her back, but justice will have been served. I just pray that he can find repentance and forgiveness with God.” One of her sisters, Nicole Eby, said that she had forgiven her sister’s killer. “I’m thankful to say that through God’s strength that I choose to forgive Gary Hartman. Because when I do not it brings death to my life in one way or another.”
While his conviction can’t bring her beloved sister back, Nicole chose the difficult route of forgiveness to ensure he doesn’t cause harm to others. “Forgiveness is the only way to keep me from being infected by the continual pain and keep furthering it on. I do not wish any harm to come to him because I would be of the same spirit as him. Though our lives are linked together because of this tragedy, I do not want to be of the same mindset in harming others,” she added. In the end, Gary Hartman was sentenced to 26 years and six months in prison for his gruesome crime. As of today, he is serving his sentence at Airway Heights Corrections Center in Airway Heights, Washington.
Read More: Michella Welch Murder Details and Investigation Timeline
