The Man Convicted of Stealing Judy Garland’s Ruby Red Slippers Had Never Seen ‘The Wizard of Oz’
In Hulu’s Ruby Red Handed: Stealing America’s Most Famous Pair of Shoes, a documentary film crew explores the theft of one of the most iconic and recognizable film memorabilia pieces of all time. The heist, pulled off in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, in 2005, left a massive hole in the film industry. In one quick moment, Judy Garland’s ruby red slippers went missing. It took more than a decade for police to recover the stolen ruby slippers. It then took nearly 20 years to bring the thief to justice. Once he was arrested, he revealed he hadn’t a clue about the significance of the shoes, as he had never seen The Wizard of Oz.
Who stole Judy Garland’s ruby red slippers?
In 2018, police recovered a pair of ruby red slippers worn by Judy Garland. The movie prop was stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in 2005, a brazen attack that shocked industry insiders. In 2023, police arrested Terry Jon Martin, a 76-year-old career criminal, for the heist.
Police traced the shoes back to Terry Jon Martin, despite his quick disposal of them, booking him on charges of theft of a major artwork. Martin pleaded guilty. He insisted he hadn’t known the significance of the shoes when he broke into the museum and stole them. In a shocking admission, he claimed to have never even seen The Wizard of Oz before.
So, why did he steal Judy Garland’s ruby red slippers?
If Martin didn’t know what he was going after when he broke into the museum and snatched the slippers, why did he steal them? Martin explained his motivation in court documents. According to the Washington Post, the ex-convict broke into the museum and smashed the glass of the display, believing the shoes were adorned with real rubies. He was hoping to dismantle them and sell the rubies before discarding any scraps. When Martin learned there wasn’t a single real ruby on the shoes, he lost interest. He quickly got rid of the ruby red slippers, never mentioning a word to anyone about the theft.
The self-proclaimed former mobster said he had stayed mostly out of trouble for around 10 years when a former associate approached him with the idea of stealing the shoes for the gems. He said he was intrigued by the chance to score one last time. Martin considered himself a former career criminal. He had several jail stints and racked up his first felony charge as a teen. In the ’80s and ’90s, he served nine years for burglary. While Martin came out of “retirement,” so to speak, for one last “score,” it ended up being a flop. There is no record of Martin having legal troubles between his 1996 prison release and his arrest in 2023.
Where is Terry Jon Martin today?
Despite the notoriety surrounding the theft of the famed slippers, little is known about Terry Jon Martin. After pleading guilty in January 2024, the judge and prosecution agreed that Martin, who was in failing health, would not be required to serve prison time. Martin was receiving hospice care. He was unable to stand on his own and relied on oxygen by the time he made it to sentencing.
According to AP News, Martin had advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He likely only had a few months to live at the time of sentencing. Despite that, there is no obituary for Martin. It is unclear if he is still alive or if he died quietly without a public notice. A death announcement for another man connected to the heist was made in March 2025, but Martin’s whereabouts are unknown.
