Man Accused in Theft of Judy Garland’s Ruby Slippers from ‘Wizard of Oz’ Dies Before Court Hearing

A man accused of helping to steal Judy Garland’s famous ruby-red slippers from The Wizard of Oz died on Sunday.

Jerry Hal Saliterman, 77, of Crystal, Minn., was set to plead guilty in January to theft of a major artwork and witness tampering, but he’d been unable to appear in court due to ongoing health problems, including Parkinson’s disease, sepsis and lung damage.

His case was still pending, but following his death, a judge dismissed the charges against him, according to the New York Times.

In 2005, the sequined red pumps — the ones Judy Garland’s Dorothy wore in the classic 1939 film — were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in the actress’s hometown of Grand Rapids, Minn.

In 2023, Terry Jon Martin, 78, of Grand Rapids, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of a major artwork for his role in stealing the shoes. Martin had used a hammer to smash the glass case the shoes were being held in; he said he’d believed they were decked out with authentic rubies, per CBS News.

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When Martin, who allegedly had mob connections, realized the shoes were adorned only with fake rubies and therefore weren’t worth enough to justify their $1 million insured value, he reportedly asked Saliterman to hold on to the shoes for him.

Saliterman allegedly kept the shoes well-hidden until the FBI managed to trace them to him in 2018. Saliterman was then charged with witness tampering and theft of a major artwork.

In 2023, Saliterman allegedly tried to intimidate a woman who knew about the shoe theft by threatening to release a sex tape to her family if she didn’t “keep her mouth shut,” the New York Times reports.