Dying Ruby Slipper Thief Avoids Jail Time

Dorothy’s ruby slippers. Image by Alyvia Taylor.

The man who pleaded guilty to stealing the ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in the film “The Wizard of Oz” has been sentenced in federal court at the St. Louis County Courthouse on Monday, Jan. 29. 

Terry Jon Martin, 76, was sentenced to time served and ordered to pay $23,500 in restitution as a result of the 2005 theft that went unsolved for over a decade. Martin is homebound in hospice care, relying on a wheelchair and oxygen tank. His doctors say he only has months to live. 

The slippers were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum, the former home of the late Hollywood star, in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Martin stated that he was tempted into the heist by an old mob associate, who convinced him that since the shoes were insured at $1 million, they had to contain real jewels.  

The case went cold for over ten years until 2018 when someone else attempted to claim the FBI reward for their return. However, it wasn’t until 2023 that Martin was charged with their disappearance after investigators used phone records to lead to him. 

Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz accepted the recommendation of time served by both sides, agreeing that Martin is too weak to serve jail time. However, he also told Martin that if it was still 2005, he would have sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

“I certainly do not want to minimize the seriousness of Mr. Martin’s crime,” the judge said. “Mr. Martin intended to steal and destroy an irreplaceable part of American culture.”

Defense attorney Dane DeKrey said in a statement that while it wasn’t perfect, the sentencing finally brought closure to the victims.

“They will never be made whole in this case,” DeKrey said, “but they’re more whole than they had been in the last 18 years.”

The slippers were returned to their owner and are planned to be sold at auction.