Morbid

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 [http://wondery.fm/morbid-wondery]. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

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, employees of a different bank across the street called the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and deputies responded immediately. When the bank robbers were confronted in the parking lot by law enforcement, a shootout began that would ultimately span more than forty miles across two counties, and when it was finally over, one sheriff’s deputy and two of the perpetrators were dead, eleven others were wounded. Moreover, the assault caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage from the nearly 2000 rounds that were fired, hitting houses, buildings, cars, among other things. Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support! References Bennett, Lorraine. 1980. "Suspects in Norco holdup charged with 120 felonies." Los Angeles Times, May 15: 3. Gorman, Tom. 1982. "Kidnapping victim tells of ordeal at bandits' hands." Los Angeles Times, January 15: 22. Houlahan, Peter. 2020. "Norco '80: Before the bank robbery." Los Angeles Daily News, June 2. —. 2019. "40 years later, the aftermath of a deadly bank robbery still lingers in a small SoCal city." Los Angeles Magazine, May 28. —. 2020. Norco '80: The True Story of the Most Spectacular Bank Robbery in American History. Berkeley, CA: Counterpoint. Malnic, Eric, and Mike Goodman. 1980. "Suspect put up barbed wire at home." Los Angeles Times, May 11: 1. Schaub, Michael. 2019. "Apocalyptic robbers botched a SoCal bank heist." Los Angeles Times, June 7. Stein, Mark. 1980. "Shaken witnesses: 'There was fear...'." Los Angeles Times, May 11: 3. Sun News Service. 1982. "Trio guilty in Norco holdup, deputy's murder." San Bernardino County Sun, July 24: 1. Stay in the know - wondery.fm/morbid-wondery. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

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 resident PodLab Ghostie, Nicholas. Alaina brings us Forest Haven Asylum where she discusses its dark history, as well tales of inhabitants that never left. Ash transports us to the eighth gate to hell- Spider Gate Cemetery! If you’ve got Spooky place you'd like to recommend with a personal account- send it on over to Morbidpodcast@gmail.com [Morbidpodcast@gmail.com] with “Spooky places” somewhere in the subject line- and if you share pictures- please let us know if we can share them with fellow weirdos! :) Stay in the know - wondery.fm/morbid-wondery. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

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 directions. Although there were nearly fifty witnesses to the shooting, they all claimed not to have seen the shooters, and none of them called an ambulance. Later, when asked why no one did anything to help McElroy or cooperate with investigators, the people of Skidmore all agreed, Ken McElroy got what he deserved. The story of Ken McElroy’s death captured the nation’s attention, primarily because it amounted to a modern-day lynching. However, while no one denies that McElroy’s death was murder, few people in and around Skidmore were interested in holding anyone accountable for the shooting. In fact, many seemed pleased to hear of McElroy’s death, which raised the question, how could someone become so hated by their neighbors that they’d be willing to overlook one of the most heinous crimes? Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support! References Associated Press. 1981. "FBI enters Missouri shooting case." New York Times, July 18: 6. —. 1981. "Little chance of trial in 'town bully' shooting." St. Joseph News-Press, October 26: 1. Graham, O.E. 1968. "What is justice?" St. Joseph News-Press, July 19: 9. Hansen, Rose. 2018. Skidmore revisited. February 6. Accessed April 9, 2025. https://missourilife.com/skidmore-revisited-part-1-death-ken-mcelroy-2/. Loh, Jules. 1981. "Brute of Nordaway County: chilling rembeberances ." Kansas City Star, August 2: 1. MacLean, Harry. 1988. In Broad Daylight: A Murder in Skidmore, Missouri. New York, NY: Harper Collins. McGuire, Donna. 2001. "Two decades after bully's death, Skidmore still guards its secrets." Kansas City Star, July 10: 1. St. Joseph News-Press. 1968. "Dismissals to 2 more defendants in beating case." St. Joseph News-Press, July 11: 9. —. 1968. "Four now charged in beating of man, attack on woman." St. Joseph News-Press, June 14: 7. —. 1973. "Three charges against man." St. Joseph News-Press, September 22: 5. —. 1968. "Victim of assault testifies four men struck, kicked him." St. Joseph News-Press, July 4: 1. Stewart, Paul. 1981. "Grand jury disappoints lawyer." St. Joseph News-Press, September 26: 1. Stay in the know - wondery.fm/morbid-wondery. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

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 stopped at a red light when a black teenager forced the driver’s door open and robbed the couple, then shot Charles and Carol before running off. Charles managed to call 911 from his car phone, but by the time emergency responders arrived, Carol was in a very bad state and would die a few hours later at a nearby hospital. The murder of Carol Stuart captured the attention of residents in and around Boston, and the story remained on the front pages in the weeks that followed. On one hand, it was a tragic story of a young couple on the verge of starting a family who were robbed of a future. On the other hand, it shined a bright spotlight on the city’s long-simmer racial tensions and the unequal treatment and application of law enforcement with regard to race. And those tensions would be significantly exacerbated when the truth about Carol Stuart’s murder was finally discovered. Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support! References Brelis, Matthew. 1989. "Stuart suspect held on charges." Boston Globe, November 12: 1. Canellos, Peter. 1989. "Roxbury probe is criticized." Boston Globe, November 1: 29. Canellos, Peter, and Irene Sege. 1989. "Couple shot after leaving hospital; baby delivered." Boston Globe, October 24. Cullen, Kevin. 1989. "Stuart suspect linked to Brookline case." Boston Globe, November 13: 1. Hayes, Constance L. 1990. "Illusion and tragedy coexist after a couple dies." New York Times, January 7. Howe, Peter, and Jerry Thomas. 1989. "Reading woman dies after shooting in car." Boston Globe, October 25. Howe, Peter, Kevin Cullen, and Anthony Flint. 1990. "Police focus on brother, woman." Boston Globe, January 8: 1. Jacobs, Sally. 1989. "Stuart is said to pick out suspect." Boston Globe, December 29: 1. —. 1989. "Stuart reportedly reacted physically to suspect's picture." Boston Globe, November 23: 93. Jacobs, Sally, and Diego Ribadeneira. 1989. "No wallet, so killer opened fire." Boston Globe, October 26: 1. Koh, Elizabeth. 2023. "Stuart shooting timeline." Boston Globe, December 1. Kong, Dolores, and Sally Jacobs. 1989. "Infant of shooting victims dies of respiratory failure." Boston Globe, November 10: 1. Murphy, Sean. 1989. "Man questioned in shooting still held." Boston Globe, November 7: 17. New York Times. 1991. "U.S. won't indict Boston policemen." New York Times, July 5: D7. Rollins, Rachel. 2019. "30 years after Stuart case, Boston still healing." Commonwealth Beacon, November 9. Sharkey, Joe. 2015. Deadly Greed: The Riveting True Story of the Stuart Murder Case. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster. Walker, Adrian, Evan Allen, Elizabeth Koh, Andrew Ryan, Kristin Nelson, and Brendan McCarthy. 2023. "The untold story of the Charles and Carol Stuart shooting." Boston Globe, December 1. Stay in the know - wondery.fm/morbid-wondery [http://wondery.fm/morbid-wondery]. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].