An American who stole Hollywood’s most famous red pumps nearly 20 years ago, worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz, received a one-year suspended prison sentence on Monday, according to his sentence. Terry Martin, who pleaded guilty to the theft last October, also received a prison sentence already served.
Aged 76, he will remain on parole due to his state of health, the man being hospitalized in palliative care and having only six months to live, according to the New York Times. Prosecutors had not requested a prison sentence against him, Mr. Martin having appeared in court in a wheelchair with an oxygen tank.
Dorothy’s famous sequined shoes mysteriously disappeared in 2005 from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, the actress’ hometown, Minnesota. Then, as if by magic, but above all thanks to the FBI, the precious accessories – one of the four pairs remaining after the filming of the cult 1939 film – reappeared in 2018. Terry Martin explained that he had stolen the pumps thinking that they were inlaid with real rubies and then sought to sell them on the black market.
Over the years, the amount of the bounty offered to find the pumps had soared, with one patron going so far as to offer a million dollars. North Dakota prosecutors now estimate them at $3.5 million. These ruby shoes are “considered one of the most famous props in the history of American cinema,” according to the Department of Justice. In the musical film adapted from the novel of the same name, Dorothy, the young heroine, clicks her heels together three times to make her dearest wish come true: to return home to Kansas.