Grady Stiles Jr. - Lobster Boy and His Fate (8 photos)

Typically, people with physical disabilities who performed in popular freak shows accepted their quirks and quirks and tried to live correctly and honestly, despite constant ridicule from the public and society at large. But this character became a rare exception.





Grady Stiles Jr. is unique. According to numerous reviews from contemporaries, this monster turned out to be such not only in appearance, but also in essence.



Lobster Boy

The Stiles family has suffered from ectrodactyly, a condition known as lobster claw syndrome, for over a century. This is a rare congenital hand deformity in which the middle finger is missing and the hand itself is split where the metacarpal bone of the finger should be. This splitting often gives the hands the appearance of lobster or crab claws, although cases vary in severity.

This disease often occurs on both the arms and legs. It is hereditary and can be passed on from generation to generation.



William Stiles was the first in his family to develop the disease in 1805. He was followed by Jacob Stiles, Elisha Stiles and Grady Stiles Sr. Grady Sr. was a performer on the show. Accordingly, after the birth of his son, Grady Franklin Stiles Jr., with a similar defect, it became clear that the child’s path was predetermined

Lobster Boy was born in Pittsburgh on July 18, 1937. Grady's condition was serious, he could not even walk.



The boy learned to use his arms and hands to move and, accordingly, developed incredible upper body strength. The matured guy married twice and had four children. Two of them, a girl, Katie, and a boy, Grady III, were born with variations of ectrodactyly. Although the children were from different mothers, they sometimes toured together under the name The Lobster Family.



With kids

Grady had a dark side. He was known as a violent drunkard. The man often used his impressive strength to teach his wives and children with his fists. When his eldest daughter Donna fell in love and became engaged to a young man in 1978, Grady did not approve of the girl's choice. Perhaps the young man stood up for Donna, or perhaps he confronted Grady. But the night before the wedding, Grady took a shotgun and killed the groom in cold blood.



The trial became a media sensation. In court, Grady openly admitted to his crime and showed little remorse. However, he did not serve any time for murder. The artist used his fortune to his advantage. At the trial it was stated that the penitentiary system is not adapted to accommodate a person with such a disability. Accordingly, detention in a regular prison is impossible due to excessive cruelty to the convicted person. Amazingly, Grady was released with a 15-year suspended sentence.

After these events, Grady felt invincible. When he resumed beating his family, one of his favorite taunts was "I've killed before and gotten away with it, I can do it again." Surprisingly, during this time, Stiles remarried his first wife, Maria. She left her new husband to remarry Grady. And almost immediately she regretted her decision.



In the end, the family got tired of it all. On November 29, 1993, Grady was shot and killed by an assassin. He turned out to be 19-year-old show performer Chris Wyant, a neighbor of the Styles family. Maria and her stepson Harry paid him $1,500 in cash to put three bullets into Grady Stiles Jr.'s skull.

Wyant was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 27 years in prison. Harry was considered the organizer of the crime. He was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Maria was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

In her defense, Maria stated: “My husband was going to kill my family. I believe this with all my heart. I'm sorry this happened, but my family is safe now."



Grady Stiles III

The family continues to live. Grady III has a daughter, Sarah, to whom the disease was not passed on. Katie is married, and the woman's daughter Misty inherited a developmental disability. The three of them continue to perform occasionally. Katie took up acting and starred in the TV series Carnival and in the Tim Burton film Big Fish.

Black-hearted Grady is buried with Stiles Sr. at Sunset Memory Gardens Cemetery in Thonotosassa, Florida.