A federal judge in the US has dismissed charges against a man accused of hiding a stolen pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 musical The Wizard of Oz after prosecutors told the court he had died on Sunday.
Jerry Hal Saliterman, 77, of Crystal, Minn., who suffered from lung disease and other ailments, was scheduled to change his plea in January, but the hearing was postponed indefinitely after he was hospitalized.
Federal prosecutor Matthew Greenlee informed the court in a brief Monday that Salitherman died Sunday, but did not specify how or where it happened.
U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz approved the motion and dismissed the charges.
Defense attorney John Brink confirmed Monday that his client had died, but declined to provide details.
A spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Fargo, North Dakota, handling the case did not immediately respond to a request for further clarification.
According to court documents, Salitermana was hospitalized in early January “due to an inability to walk and sepsis,” a life-threatening infection.
Three days later, he participated in a court hearing via video link, which took place in a hospital room.
In his court filing late last month, Brink said his client had been placed in hospice care and was in very poor health.
A cover letter from his doctor included information about severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease requiring supplemental oxygen and Parkinson's disease.
When Salitermana first appeared in court last March, he used a wheelchair and was hooked up to oxygen.
He was then charged with stealing a major work of art and bribing a witness in connection with his involvement in the ruby slippers case.
These red glittery shoes were stolen in 2005 from the Judy Garland Museum in her hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
