- Terry Jon Martin pleaded guilty to a museum robbery that took place in 2005.
- He used a hammer to smash a door at the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.
- Martin thought the shoes had real rubies, but he disposed of them after being told they were glass.
A man admitted stealing the ruby red slippers worn by Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz” from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.
Terry Jon Martin, 76, pleaded guilty Friday to one count of theft, stating that he used a hammer to break into the museum in 2005 and smash the display case containing the slippers, The Associated Press reported.
He believed the rubies were genuine, but when informed by a fence, someone who buys stolen goods, that they were only glass, he disposed of them.
Martin did not disclose the whereabouts of the slippers.
No one had been apprehended in connection with the theft until Martin was charged. He resides in Duluth near Grand Rapids, where Judy Garland, who portrayed Dorothy Gale in the 1939 film, resided until the age of four.
“Terry has no idea where they were and how they were recovered,” said Martin’s attorney, Dane DeKrey, after the hearing, as reported by The AP. “His involvement was limited to that two-day period in 2005.”
Due to his age and poor health, Martin may avoid imprisonment, according to the news agency. He arrived at the court in a wheelchair and with an oxygen tank.
Dan Kraker/Minnesota Public Radio/AP
DeKrey stated that Martin suffered from advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and had difficulty breathing.
“He’s essentially slowly suffocating to death,” the attorney said. “I think Terry is confronting his own mortality, and I believe that when people reach that point in their lives, they get straight to the point.”
In 2018, the FBI recovered the shoes, which are believed to be one of four remaining pairs from the film. Federal prosecutors estimated the value of the shoes at around $3.5 million.
The Judy Garland Museum is situated in the actress’s childhood home and displays some of her personal belongings. Garland passed away in London in 1969. Her children include Liza Minnelli.
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