‘One last score’: Man who admitted to stealing ‘Wizard of Oz’ ruby slippers reveals motive

The legal team for a man who pleaded guilty last October to stealing the ruby slippers from the “Wizard of Oz” movie revealed his motive in a new court filing.

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The defense team for Terry Jon Martin, 76, revealed his motive for stealing the ruby slippers in 2005 from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, was filed before he is expected to be sentenced on Jan. 29, according to The Associated Press.

Defense attorney Dane DeKrey said that Martin was tempted by an unidentified former mob associate to steal the shoes.

“At first, Terry declined the invitation to participate in the heist. But old habits die hard, and the thought of a ‘final score’ kept him up at night,” DeKrey wrote, according to the AP. “After much contemplation, Terry had a criminal relapse and decided to participate in the theft.”

Martin pleaded guilty last October. He claimed to have used a hammer to enter the museum and break into the ruby slippers display case, the AP reported. Martin reportedly hoped to “harvest real rubies from the shoes” and then proceed to sell them. He was later informed that the rubies were actually glass, so Martin got rid of the shoes within about two days.

Grand Rapids Police and the FBI found the shoes in July 2018, KTSP reported. The slippers were recovered in an FBI art crime team sting operation, according to the AP.

Martin’s lawyers are asking the judge to sentence him to time served because “he is physically incapable of presenting a threat to society,” the AP reported. Martin is currently in hospice care and is expected to live for less than six months.

His lawyers said that Martin had no idea what the significance culturally was for the slippers and that he never saw the “Wizard of Oz,” but was rather looking for one last score, the AP reported.

Judy Garland wore the ruby slippers when she filmed the movie in 1939. The AP reported that there are only four authentic pairs that are known to still be around. The ones that were stolen were insured for about $1 million but the current value of them is estimated to be about $3.5 million.

The Judy Garland Museum is by a house where Garland lived in Grand Rapids. It is believed to have the world’s largest collection of memorabilia from the “Wizard of Oz” and Garland, according to the AP.

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