Born into the Carnival
Grady Franklin Stiles Jr., born on June 26, 1937, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was part of a family that had lived under the carnival lights for generations. The Stiles line carried a rare genetic condition called ectrodactyly, which fused fingers and toes into claw-like formations.
Grady’s father, Grady Stiles Sr., had already turned this trait into a sideshow act when Grady joined him at seven years old. Together, they became famous as “The Lobster Family,” traveling with carnivals across America before settling in Gibsonton, Florida, a community known for housing performers during the off-season.
Strength and Violence
Unable to walk because of his condition, Stiles moved using his hands and arms, building extraordinary upper body strength. Away from the spotlight, he developed a violent temper worsened by alcoholism.
His wife, Mary Teresa, eventually left him and married another performer, but their lives remained tangled. Despite the separations and reconciliations, Stiles’s behavior continued to frighten his family.
Murder Before the Wedding
On September 28, 1978, the night before his oldest daughter’s wedding in Pittsburgh, Stiles took a gun and shot her fiancé. He confessed in court and was convicted of third-degree murder. However, due to his condition, no state prison could accommodate him, so he was sentenced to fifteen years of probation and house arrest.
During this time, he stopped drinking for a while and remarried Mary Teresa. The peace did not last. He began drinking again, and the violence returned.
Murder in Gibsonton
By 1992, life with Stiles had become unbearable. Mary Teresa, her son from another marriage, and a young carnival worker named Chris Wyant were involved in planning his death. On November 29, 1992, as Stiles sat on his sofa smoking and watching a videotape titled Monkey Boy, Wyant entered the house and shot him twice in the head. Stiles died instantly.
Aftermath and Convictions
Mary Teresa was convicted of manslaughter. Her son, Harry Glenn Newman Jr., was found guilty of first-degree murder and received a life sentence. Wyant was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 27 years in prison.
When Stiles was buried, only ten people attended his funeral, and no one volunteered to carry the coffin. His son, Grady Stiles III, later claimed his mother never ordered the killing, insisting the tragedy stemmed from chaos within the family rather than a planned act.
A carnival headliner confessed to murder, avoided prison due to a rare condition, and was later shot at home.
This is Grady Franklin Stiles Jr., born 1937, known onstage as Lobster Boy, whose life ended in Gibsonton, Florida, on November 29, 1992…🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/85jrVQwOIv
— Fascinating True Stories (@FascinatingTrue) October 20, 2025