After a grand jury investigation, Terry Martin was indicted for the theft of Judy Garland’s ruby red shoes from the 1939 MGM film “The Wizard of Oz.” Nothing new was disclosed in the indictment of Martin on Wednesday. In 2005, he allegedly stole a pair of Judy Garland’s shoes from the museum dedicated to her in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Prosecutors claim that Garland wore one of four pairs of red slippers while yelling “There’s no place like home” and clicking her heels. The museum’s loaned footwear was stolen and the display case was smashed.
The federal prosecutors claim the slippers’ current market value is $3.5 million, up from the original $1 million. Over the years, a mysterious philanthropist in Arizona offered $1 million for the footwear. The 12 components that make up the slippers are as varied as wood pulp, gelatin, plastic, silk thread, and glass. The bows are embellished with ruby sequins, and the shoes include crimson glass beads.
In a 2018 sting operation in Minnesota, the FBI recovered the slippers after a man alerted the slippers’ insurer that he might be able to assist in the case. In March, police in Minneapolis arrested a guy on suspicion of theft. Garland’s other three red shoes from the film are held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Smithsonian Institution, and an individual collector. Michael Shaw, a collector of Hollywood memorabilia, had loaned out the slippers when they went missing.
