Grady Stiles, the Lobster Boy

Grady Stiles II came from a long line of males born with a disfiguring condition called Electrodactyly (fingers and toes are fused to look like claws). Following in his father's footsteps, Grady joined the circus.

Stiles had been married twice, having a daughter and son whom both have electrodactyly. They toured in the circus as performers.

Allegedly, Stiles was an abusive alcoholic. He killed his daughter's fiance to prevent them from being married, and was not imprisoned because the prison could not cater to his disability. He ended up with 15 years probation.

Stiles quit drinking and remarried his first wife, Maria Herzog. Soon after, Stiles began his drinking and abused his wife. Maria Herzog and their son allegedly hired someone from the circus, Chris Wynant, to kill Stiles. He shot Stiles 3 times in the head, killing him instantly, and all three (Maria, her son, and Chris Wynant) were charged and convicted.

More information: http://www.phreeque.com/grady_stiles.html
Folk Figure, Murder Victim. Grady Stiles was known as "Lobster Boy" for his deformed hands that looked like claws. He had 4 children, 1 boy and 1 girl had the same deformity that he had. His circus show was famous throughout the world. He married three times to two different women and was very abusive towards his family. When his eldest daughter was engaged, Grady became so enraged that he shot the groom the day before the wedding. Even though he was found guilty of murder, they did not send him to prison on the basis that the prison system did not have the necessary capabilities to handle his condition. He was given 15 years probation for the crime. In November of 1992, after many years of abuse, his wife, Mary Teresa, went to her son (his stepson), and pleaded with him to help her get away from her husband. He came up with a solution. With the help of a neighbor, Grady Stiles was shot 3 times in the head while he was watching TV in his trailer. His stepson was given a life sentence, and his wife, Mary, was sentenced to 12 years in prison, she maintains to this very day that she did what she had to do to save and protect her family. It has been in dispute, but all indications point to the famous "Lobster Boy" being buried in Showmen's Rest Cemetery in Tampa, Florida.* Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Oct 31 2022, 21:41:38 UTC