A federal judge dismissed Monday’s charges against a Minnesota man accused of hiding the stolen ruby slippers Judy Garland had worn in the 1939 musical The Wizard of Oz after prosecutors informed the court on Sunday that he had died.
Jerry Hal Salitalman (77) of Crystal, who is in poor health due to lung disease or other illnesses He plans to turn his plea into guilty In January, his hearing was postponed indefinitely after he was hospitalized.
Federal prosecutor Matthew Greenley informed the court in a one-page motion where and where Salitelman died on Sunday. US District Judge Patrick Schiltz granted the request and dropped the claim.
Defense attorney John Brink confirmed that his client died on Monday but refused to give details. A spokesman for the US Lawyer’s Office in Fargo, North Dakota, which handles the case, did not immediately return the call.
According to a court application, Salitalman was hospitalized in early January with a potentially life-threatening infectious disease “because he is unable to walk and he is unable to get sepsis.” He attended his arrest three days later via video from what appeared to be a hospital room. In an update to the court later last month, Brink told the court that his client had been discharged from the hospice facility and his prognosis was poor. An accompanying letter from his doctor listed severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease requiring supplemental oxygen and Parkinson’s disease.
Salitalman appeared in his first courtroom last March while he was in a wheelchair and oxygen. He was He was later charged with theft of major artwork and eyewitness tampering For his role in the Ruby Slippers case.
The sequin red slippers were stolen in 2005 from the Judi Garland Museum in his hometown of Grand Rapids. Hollywood memorabilia collector Michael Shaw had rented out his pair to the museum before Terry John Martin stole them. Their location remained a mystery for nearly 13 years before the FBI recovered in 2018. They have obtained a commemorative record of the film. $32.5 million in Decemberaccording to the heritage auction.
Judi Garland Museum Efforts to buy back slippers The auction ended up failing despite being bolstered Save $100,000 by state legislators.
The slippers were one of several pairs Garland wore during the shoot. Only the other three pairs remain.
Martin, 78, of Grand Rapids, used a hammer to crush the glass on the museum’s door and stole the case. According to his lawyer, an old companion with ties to the mob told him that he had to adorn his shoes with real gems to justify his $1 million insurance value. Martin’s lawyer explained theft “The final score” For aging reformist gang. However, Martin removes the slippers when he learns they are fakes and they end up with Salitman. Martin Plead guilty in 2023 And it was He was sentenced to serving in January last year. Because he is in poor health.
Garland was born in 1922 to Frances Gummum. She lived in Grand Rapids, about 200 miles north of Minneapolis until she was four years old. She passed away in 1969. The Judi Garland Museum says it has the world’s largest collection of garlands and “The Wizard of Oz” memorabilia.
