Grady Stiles Jr. “The Dark Side of Lobster Boy” | MURDERISH Ep. 153

Grady Stiles Jr. came from a long line of sideshow performers who had a genetic condition known as ectrodactyly. When this defect occurs in the womb, the middle digits of the hand and foot are missing and the remaining ones fuse into two parts. Grady was born with two-fingered hands that resembled lobster claws, and footless legs ending just below the knee. Like many of his relatives, Grady capitalized on his physical defects by appearing in traveling carnivals. It’s easy to imagine that a lifetime spent as a public spectacle could be emotionally taxing. But Grady had a coping mechanism: alcohol. For Grady, drinking heavily blurred out the pain of ridicule and rejection. Unfortunately, alcohol also made him incredibly mean and violent. This tendency toward violence would manifest into murder, with Grady being the perpetrator. Later, the man known as “Lobster Boy” would find himself on the other side of murder …falling victim to two bullets in the back of his head. Follow Jami on Instagram & TikTok @JamiOnAir and join the Serial Streamers true crime TV club! Subscribe to Jami’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@jamionair Sponsors Shopify: Visit shopify.com/murderish (all lowercase) for a $1/month trial period. Nom Nom: Visit TryNom.com/MURDERISH for 50% off your no-risk 2-week trial. Sideshow: Visit sideshow.com and use promo code MURDERISH for $50 off a $200 purchase. MURDERISH x Generation WHY meetup: Happening Saturday, 2.24.24, at Idle Hour Bar: 4824 Vineland Ave., Los Angeles at 5:00 PM. The meetup is FREE …bring a friend! Dirty Money Moves: Women in White Collar Crime - Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dirty-money-moves-women-in-white-collar-crime/id1619521092. Lipstick & Lies - Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lipstick-lies/id1704189120?i=1000625570159 Want to advertise on this show? We’ve partnered with Cloud10 Media to handle our advertising requests. If you’re interested in advertising on MURDERISH, send an email to Sahiba Krieger sahiba@cloud10.fm with a copy to jami@murderish.com. Research & Writing: Alison Schwartz. Visit Murderish.com for more info about the show and Creator/Host, Jami, as well as a list of sources for this episode. Ad-Free episodes: Visit https://www.patreon.com/Murderish to join MURDERISH | Behind the Mic and get access to bonus episodes, ad-free episodes, and other cool perks. Missing person: 44-year-old Cynthia Acevedo. Contact the FBI’s Phoenix Field Office at (623) 466-1999, or go to fbi.gov with any information you have regarding Cynthia’s disappearance. Listening to this podcast doesn’t make you a murderer, it just means you’re murder..ish. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices