Episode #980: One More Score
First Broadcast: 1/29/24
Repeated: 5/6/24
This week, we occupy our time discussing the fascinating tale of Terry Jon Martin, who, back in 2005, stole one of the pairs of ruby slippers that Judy Garland wore in the film The Wizard of Oz. The crime remained unsolved until the F.B.I. recovered the slippers in 2018, and Martin was convicted for the theft in 2023, after he pleaded guilty. The 76-year-old man's rationale, given by his lawyer prior to his sentencing in 2024? He wanted one "final score" to cap off his criminal career, apparently because he thought the slippers had real rubies on them that he could sell for cash. Too bad he had never seen the movie, or else maybe he might have known that those props never had rubies--or any other jewels--on them in the first place. In between all this, we also discuss the Batmobile, a guy who set up a sting to buy back his own stolen cell phone, a woman who rode off with her own stolen bike after seeing it for sale on Craigslist, and how true crime podcasts are making a strong case that serial killers aren't really that smart; it's the police who are investigating them who aren't hitting the mark. You know, something for everyone!
So, what is Free New York anyway? The simple answer is that it's a
this neat little
public access TV show on
Manhattan Neighborhood Network which I co-produce with the
tremendous help of my camerawoman/editor/everything else,
Kim. The complicated answer
is that it's a project of mine to broadcast opinions and events which
don't always appear within "the mainstream media" (like The New York Times,
the major networks, local radio, etc.), and so far I think it's been working.
If you think I'm doing a good job--or not--and you feel
like sending me snail mail, the address is:
Free New York
P.O. Box 20945
Tompkins Square Station
New York, NY 10009
You can also email me at fny@freenewyork.net, which should get to me a lot faster than the snail mail.
last updated May 5, 2024
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