The man who was accused of stealing the iconic ruby-red Wizard of Oz slippers died on Sunday before his trial. 77-year-old Jerry Hal Saliterman was meant to plead guilty in January to the charges. Due to his poor health, they postponed the hearing, and weeks later he has now passed away.
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Saliterman of Crystal, Minnesota had a myriad of health problems such as sepsis, lung damage, and Parkinson's. He allegedly stole one of the pairs of ruby slippers that Judy Garland wore in the 1939 classic film. They were sitting in the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota until they disappeared in 2005.
Man Charged With Stealing 'Wizard Of Oz' Slippers Dies Before Hearing
According to CTV News, federal prosecutor Matthew Greenley notified the court on Monday of Saliterman's death. In that statement, he did not mention his cause of death or where he passed away. Even his attorney, John Brink, refused to give any details on his death. Since then, US District Judge Patrick Schiltz dropped the charges on the late suspect.
Due to our current knowledge of Saliterman's ailments and his hospitalization in early January, he likely died of an illness. The court filings detailed he had an "inability to walk and sepsis," the latter being something that can turn deadly.
He also had a letter from his doctor which listed a requirement for supplemental oxygen. This was due to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. On top of that, he suffered from Parkinson's disease, so Saliterman was already quite ill during his final months.
During his first court appearance, they charged Saliterman with theft of a major artwork and witness tampering. The case started to pick up after 13 years when the FBI recovered the stolen slippers in 2018.
Then in 2023, 78-year-old Terry Jon Martin pled guilty to theft of a major artwork. He had smashed the glass case containing the ruby slippers with a hammer. His attorney explained that an old associate with mob connections told him the shoes were made of real rubies.
Once he learned that they were fake jewels, he got rid of them, eventually ending up in Saliterman's hands. He tried his best to hide the Wizard of Oz slippers, but the FBI managed to trace them to him.
Although the jewels weren't real, the historic significance of the shoes were worth a lot. A Dallas auction in December sold the ruby slippers for $32.5 million, as per NBC Philadelphia.
