Shivangi Sinha
The iconic red ruby slippers from ‘The Wizard of Oz’ were stolen in 2005 from the Judy Garland Museum in Minnesota. For over a decade, the case remained unsolved until investigators identified Terry Jon Martin as the thief. He was later charged with the crime, bringing closure to a mystery that had puzzled authorities and fans alike. Hulu’s ‘Ruby Red Handed: Stealing America’s Most Famous Pair of Shoes’ dives deep into the mischievous theft and shows how Martin was finally caught after years of eluding justice.
Terry Jon Martin Lost His Twin Children in an Accident
Terry Jon Martin lost his mother in 1959 when he was still young. He shared a close relationship with his brother, but things took a turn for the worse after their father remarried. Allegations later surfaced that both boys suffered abuse at the hands of their stepmother, leading Terry to run away from home at 16. Not long after, he committed theft, was caught, and sentenced to three years in prison. Upon release, he met Terry Cronquist, fell in love, and learned they were expecting twins. Sadly, before their birth, his parole was revoked and he was sent back to prison.
His children were born in 1971, and Cronquiat brought them to visit him for the first time in prison a few months later. It was on her drive back that she was hit by a train. While one of the children died at the scene, the second was pronounced dead at a hospital later. His legal team later stated that this is where everything changed for him and he did not believe in reforming himself. After being released, he went back to a life of crime and was arrested and released many times. He committed many thefts and was allegedly even connected with mobsters during his time. It was in 1996, when he was released, that he decided to leave the life of crime behind and moved to Grand Rapids, Minnesota, to be with his brother. He started working different jobs, like in construction, until 2003. He got into an accident, which impeded his physical movement, and he decided to lie back.
Terry Jon Martin Was Arrested More Than Two Decades After the Theft
According to court records, around 2005, Terry Jon Martin was approached by a former mob associate who informed him about the ‘Wizard of Oz’ red slippers. Initially hesitant, he was persuaded by the fact that something insured for $1 million must hold significant value and agreed to the heist as a final thrill. On the night of August 27-28, 2005, he drove to the Judy Garland Museum in Minnesota and used a sledgehammer to smash the plexiglass case. He later claimed that he stole the shoes in under 30 seconds. It was later found out that his alleged co-conspirator, Jerry Hal Saliterman, was with him, and the two of them were allegedly stopped for speeding that night.
They managed to get out of the situation without their car being searched. However, when he discovered that the slippers were not fitted with real rubies, he was disappointed and, out of anger, wanted nothing to do with them. It was reported that he disposed of them within 48 hours of obtaining them and that they remained unnoticed for years. It wasn’t until July 2017 that Michael Insabella, a retired Secret Service agent, provided a tip to the police, leading them to recover the shoes. Joe Friedberg, a criminal defense attorney, delivered the shoes to the police in July 2018. The police still aimed to catch the perpetrator, so they tracked phone records and were able to identify Terry as their suspect.
Terry Jon Martin is in Hospice Care Even Today
Police discovered that Terry Martin’s wife had an immigration status issue, which they leveraged against him. In October 2023, he pleaded guilty to theft of a major artwork from the care, custody, or control of a museum. He did not name any co-conspirators in the crime. During his hearing, he stated that he was unaware of the cultural significance of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and had stolen the shoes because he believed they contained real rubies. In January 2024, he was sentenced to time served, one year of supervised release, and ordered to pay $23,500 in restitution to the Judy Garland Children’s Museum.
The judge noted that, had this been in 2005, he would have imposed a 10-year sentence. At the time of sentencing, Terry, aged 76, was in hospice care, requiring constant oxygen therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). He struggled to rise from his wheelchair after the hearing. He is believed to be in the final stages of his life and remains hospitalized in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.
Read More: Jerry Saliterman: How Did the Alleged Ruby Slippers Thief Die?
