A terminally ill thief, who admitted to stealing Judy Garland’s ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz” in 2005 for a final heist, is anticipated to avoid imprisonment upon his sentencing on Monday.
Terry Jon Martin, 76, stole the iconic slippers from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, succumbing to temptation after being persuaded by an old mob associate who claimed the shoes needed real jewels to justify their $1 million insured value, according to his attorney’s memo to the federal court. The FBI recovered the stolen slippers in 2018 when an individual attempted to claim a reward, but Martin was only charged last year.
In October, Martin pleaded guilty to theft of a major artwork, acknowledging that he used a hammer to break the museum door and display case to take the slippers. The motivation behind the theft remained unclear until recently when his defense attorney, Dane DeKrey, revealed that Martin had hoped to extract what he believed were real rubies from the slippers to sell. However, a fence informed him that the rubies were actually glass, prompting Martin to dispose of the slippers.
DeKrey’s memo unveiled that Martin’s former mob associate convinced him to steal the slippers as a “final score,” even though Martin seemed to have put his criminal past behind him nearly a decade ago. Despite initially declining the invitation, Martin ultimately relapsed into criminal activity due to the allure of a final heist.
Both the prosecution and defense recommend that Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz sentence Martin to time served, considering his housebound state in hospice care and a life expectancy of six months. Martin, suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, relies on constant oxygen therapy and was in a wheelchair during his guilty plea.
Although federal sentencing guidelines suggest a sentence of 4 1/2 to 6 years, both parties agree that Martin’s fragile health precludes a lengthy imprisonment. The recommended restitution to the museum is $23,500, despite Martin’s apparent lack of financial means.
According to DeKrey, Martin was unaware of the cultural significance of the ruby slippers, having never seen “The Wizard of Oz.” The attorney emphasized that the “old Terry,” with a history of burglary and receiving stolen property, resurfaced, overshadowing the “new Terry,” who had become a contributing member of society after his release from prison in 1996.
After learning the rubies were fake, Martin handed the slippers to his old mob associate, refusing to disclose any other individuals involved in the theft. The FBI, which recovered the slippers in a sting operation in Minneapolis, never disclosed its tracking methods. Federal prosecutors estimate the slippers’ market value at approximately $3.5 million.
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In the 1939 musical, Garland’s character, Dorothy, had to click her ruby slippers three times, repeating, “There’s no place like home,” to return to Kansas from Oz. Only four authentic pairs of these iconic slippers are known to exist, with the stolen pair being one of them.
