From the moment he was born, Grady Stiles entertained audiences around the United States as the sideshow performer “Lobster Boy.” But behind the scenes, Stiles’ life was one of turmoil, alcoholism, and even murder. That all came to an end one night in the fall of 1992, when a killer entered Stiles’ Florida home and shot him to death.
In the days that followed Grady Stiles murder, investigators quickly unraveled a conspiracy plot to kill Stiles, which had been set in motion by his wife, Mary Theresa, and his stepson, who’d hired a teenage carnival worker to commit the murder. After a lifetime in the spotlight because of his physical deformity, it was Grady Stiles’ death that brought him the ultimate fame, but what had he done to earn such a brutal end?
Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support!
References
Allen, William. 1978. "Her dad faces trial in fiance's slaying." Pittsburgh Press, October 6: 4.
Associated Press. 1994. "Defense: Abuse led wife to hire husband's killer." Miami Herald, July 13: 24.
Florida Department of Corrections. 2014. Corrections Offender Network. March 5. Accessed April 30, 2025. https://pubapps.fdc.myflorida.com/OffenderSearch/detail.aspx?Page=Detail&DCNumber=532246&TypeSearch=IR.
Ireton, Gabriel. 1979. "'Lobster Man' guilt in kin's fiance death." Pitsburgh Post-Gazette, February 23: 3.
Jackson, Orval. 1994. "Judge rules self-defense must include admission." Tampa Tribune, July 15: 20.
—. 1994. "Wife of 'Lobster Boy' guilty." Tampa Tribune, July 28: 1.
Lester, John. 1992. "Legless carny slain at his house." Tampa Tribune, December 1: 7.
Maryniak, Paul. 1979. "Deformed slayer gets probation." Pittsburgh Press, April 30: 1.
—. 1979. "Performer's slay trial goes to jury." Pittsburgh Press, February 22: 2.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . 1978. "Legless man charged in slaying." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 28: 7.
Rosen, Fred. 1995. Lobster Boy: The Bizarre Life and Brutal Death of Grady Stiles Jr. New York, NY: Pinnacle.
Stay in the know - wondery.fm/morbid-wondery.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Плейлист
Morbid
When Ivan and Annette Stineman disappeared from their home in Concord, California in the summer of 2000, it immediately raised red alarmed with those closest to the elderly couple. Those alarms proved...
When Ivan and Annette Stineman disappeared from their home in Concord, California in the summer of 2000, it immediately raised red alarmed with those closest to the elderly couple. Those alarms proved...
Weirdos! It's summertime, and it's time for you to pack a backpack, grab your sleeping bag, and join us for some creepy campfire tales! To make them even BETER- they're brought TO you, BY you, FOR you...
Part 2 of 2: On the afternoon of July 24, 2002, Clara Harris learned that her husband, David Harris, was having an affair with his secretary. Incensed, Clara went to the hotel where the David and his...
Part 1 of 2: On the afternoon of July 24, 2002, Clara Harris learned that her husband, David Harris, was having an affair with his secretary. Incensed, Clara went to the hotel where the David and his...
In early December 1976, a film crew was shooting an episode of a popular television show at The Pike, a boardwalk amusement park in Long Beach, California. In order to prepare for the scene, the prop...
On the afternoon of June 19, 1994, thirteen-year-old Nicholas Barclay left his home in San Antonio, Texas to play basketball with some friends. Hours later, he called home to ask his mother for a ride...
In the fall of 1940, an employ of the Consolidated Edison Company in Manhattan discovered a bomb in the company’s main offices, along with a note that read “Con Edison crooks – this is for you.” The b...
In the fall of 1940, an employ of the Consolidated Edison Company in Manhattan discovered a bomb in the company’s main offices, along with a note that read “Con Edison crooks – this is for you.” The b...
On the evening of May 10, 1988, a passing driver on Howard Street in Brockton, MA, stopped to investigate something unusual on the side of the road. When the driver got closer to what they thought was...
Weirdos! It's Listener Tales- brought TO you, BY you, FOR you, FROM you, and ALLLLL about you! Today we focus on stories about witchcraft. We've got possession, cursed boxes in the woods, tales of fam...
From the moment he was born, Grady Stiles entertained audiences around the United States as the sideshow performer “Lobster Boy.” But behind the scenes, Stiles’ life was one of turmoil, alcoholism, an...
On the afternoon of May 9, 1980, four heavily armed men walked into the Security Pacific Bank in Norco, California and demanded $20,000 in cash. Having seen the men enter the bank with their guns, emp...
As promised, we TRIED to get an episode on Creepy Butts, but the research proved TOO extensive! Instead, we ditched the theme, and dove into Spooky places that spoke to our souls, ESPECIALLY our resid...
On July 10,1981, forty-seven-year-old Ken McElroy was sitting in his truck in Skidmore, Missouri with his wife, Trina, when the vehicle was struck by a hail of gunfire that seemed to come from all dir...
On the night of October 23, 1989, Charles and Carol Stuart were returning home from a childbirth class and drove through the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. According to Charles Stuart, they were stop...
In October 2001, the dismembered remains of seventy-one-year-old Morris Black were found floating in Galveston Bay. A few days later, Black’s neighbor, Robert Durst, was arrested on suspicion of murde...
In October 2001, the dismembered remains of seventy-one-year-old Morris Black were found floating in Galveston Bay. A few days later, Black’s neighbor, Robert Durst, was arrested on suspicion of murde...
Despite the passage of fifty years since his last activity, the case of the Zodiac Killer continues to fascinate and frustrate law enforcement, the media, and the American public, making America’s mos...
Despite the passage of fifty years since his last activity, the case of the Zodiac Killer continues to fascinate and frustrate law enforcement, the media, and the American public, making America’s mo...
This episode is available early and ad-free for Wondery+ members and will be released on all platforms on Thursday, April 24th. To stay up-to-date on new podcasts and more from Wondery, sign up on htt...
On the morning of August 26, 1986, a cyclist in New York’s Central Park discovered the body eighteen-year-old Jennifer Levin. Among other things, Levin had been strangled, there were superficial injur...
Throughout the 1960s and 70s, from Los Angeles to San Francisco, Californians were terrorized by multiple killers including notorious serial killers like the Zodiac Killer, the Hillside Stranglers, He...
Throughout the 1960s and 70s, from Los Angeles to San Francisco, Californians were terrorized by multiple killers including notorious serial killers like the Zodiac Killer, the Hillside Stranglers, He...
In the winter of 1973, director William Friedkin released his iconic horror classic The Exorcist, a film that has shocked and terrified audiences for more than fifty years. Based on William Peter Blat...
Throughout the early 1970s, California’s Bay Area was in the grip of terror as multiple serial killers operated at the time same time and in more or less the same space. In time, some of these killers...
Throughout the early 1970s, California’s Bay Area was in the grip of terror as multiple serial killers operated at the time same time and in more or less the same space. In time, some of these killers...
When Luigi Mangione allegedly gunned down UnitedHealthcare’s CEO, the media called it a senseless crime. But online, a different story emerged—one of rage, reckoning, and a suspected killer turned fol...
On the night of August 14, 1985, twenty-year-old Kristin O’Connell left a party in Ovid, NY to go for a walk. Two days later, her nude body was discovered near a cornfield along a rural county road; s...
Weirdos! Today we just wanted to be ourselves- and enjoy some Listener tales that are brought TO you, BY you, FOR you, FROM you, and ALLLLL about you! Throw on a comfy sweatshirt and join use as we ta...