Prosecutors say Minnesota man accused of hiding stolen ruby slippers from 'The Wizard of Oz' is useless

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A federal decide dismissed the fees Monday towards a Minnesota man accused of hiding a stolen pair of ruby slippers that Judy Garland wore within the 1939 musical “The Wizard of Oz” after prosecutors knowledgeable the courtroom that he died on Sunday.

Jerry Hal Saliterman, 77, of Crystal, who had been sick with lung illness and different illnesses, had been scheduled to vary his plea to responsible in January however that listening to was postponed indefinitely after he was hospitalized.

Federal prosecutor Matthew Greenley notified the courtroom in a one-page movement Monday that Saliterman died Sunday however didn’t say how or the place. U.S. District Decide Patrick Schiltz granted the request and dropped the fees.

Protection legal professional John Brink confirmed Monday that his shopper had died however declined to provide particulars. A spokesman for the U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace in Fargo, North Dakota, which is dealing with the case, didn’t instantly return a cellphone name in search of additional info.

In line with courtroom filings, Saliterman was hospitalized in early January “for incapability to stroll and sepsis,” an an infection that may be life-threatening. He attended his arraignment three days later through video from what seemed like a hospital room. In an replace to the courtroom late final month, Brink advised the courtroom that his shopper had been discharged to a hospice facility and that his prognosis was poor. An accompanying letter from his physician listed extreme continual obstructive pulmonary illness requiring supplemental oxygen and Parkinson’s illness.

Saliterman was in a wheelchair and on oxygen final March when he made his first courtroom look. He was charged then with theft of a serious paintings and witness tampering for his position within the ruby slippers case.

The sequined crimson slippers have been stolen in 2005 from the Judy Garland Museum in her hometown of Grand Rapids. Their whereabouts remained a thriller for almost 13 years till the FBI recovered them in 2018. They fetched a file for film memorabilia of $32.5 million in December, in response to Heritage Auctions. The slippers have been one among a number of pairs Garland wore in the course of the filming. Solely three different pairs stay.

Terry Jon Martin, now 78, of Grand Rapids, used a hammer to smash the glass of the museum’s door and show case to steal them. In line with his legal professional, an previous affiliate with connections to the mob advised him the footwear needed to be adorned with actual jewels to justify their $1 million insured worth. However he removed the slippers when he realized they have been faux, they usually ended up with Saliterman. Martin pleaded responsible in 2023 and was sentenced final January to time served due to his poor well being.