Who Is Joe Arridy? Age, Biography and Wiki
Born on April 29, 1915, Joe Arridy lived a short but impactful life until his wrongful execution in 1939. Arridy was a mentally disabled man whose tragic case has become synonymous with the flaws in the American justice system. Despite his execution being a misjudgment, he is remembered for his innocence and the injustice he faced. If he were alive in 2025, he would be turning 110 years old.
| Occupation | Other |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | April 29, 1915 |
| Age | 23 Years |
| Birth Place | Pueblo, Colorado, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Taurus |
| Country | U.S |
| Date of death | 6 January, 1939 |
| Died Place | Colorado State Prison, Cañon City, Colorado, U.S. |
Popularity
Joe Arridy's Popularity over time
Height, Weight & Measurements
While official stats on Joe Arridy’s height and weight are limited, historical records imply he had a slight build. Although exact measurements are not available, advocates and historians often describe him as physically vulnerable, which may have contributed to his wrongful conviction.
Family, Dating & Relationship Status
Details regarding Joe Arridy’s family life are scarce. He was born into a family that faced considerable challenges, contributing to his struggles in life. There are no records indicating romantic relationships, and as a result, he did not have a boyfriend or girlfriend. In the context of the era he lived in, it’s important to recognize that societal stigma around mental health may have played a part in his social interactions.
Henry came to the United States in search of work in 1909 via the USS Martha Washington over Patras, Greece, being joined by his wife in 1912. The couple were first cousins and did not speak English. Henry took a job as a molder with a Colorado Fuel and Iron steel mill in Pueblo that he learned was hiring workers.
In census records, the surname of the parents was inconsistently spelled as "Areddy" (1920), "Arddy" (1930), and "Arriag" (1940).
Net Worth and Salary
Determining Joe Arridy’s net worth is complex, seeing as he lived during a time when individuals with disabilities often faced systemic barriers to proper employment and financial independence. In discussions surrounding his legacy today, it is not common to analyze his financial status, given his tragic life circumstances.
Career, Business and Investments
Joe Arridy’s life was marked by hardship, and he did not have a traditional career or business prospects. He was primarily a victim of systemic injustice. The focus on his life has largely revolved around his wrongful conviction and execution, rather than any professional achievements.
Arridy's case is one of a number that received new attention in the face of research into ensuring just interrogations and confessions. In addition, the US Supreme Court ruled that capital punishment was unconstitutional for convicted people who are mentally disabled.
A group of supporters formed the non-profit Friends of Joe Arridy and worked to bring new recognition to the injustice of his case, in addition to commissioning a tombstone for his grave in 2007.
Social Network
As of 2025, Joe Arridy may not have a social network in the literal sense, but his story continues to inspire social justice movements and mental health awareness campaigns. Advocates and historians honor his memory through various platforms, creating a network of individuals and organizations dedicated to preventing similar injustices.
Carroll was aware of the widespread search for suspects in the Drain murder case and when Arridy revealed under questioning that he was a native of Pueblo and had recently traveled through the town by way of a train after leaving Grand Junction, Colorado, Carroll began to question him about the Drain case.
Carroll questioned Arridy about any "girl friends" he had in Pueblo, asking "Well, Joe, you like the girls pretty well don’t you?" and stating "You have had several girls during your lifetime", both of which Arridy answered with yes.
Carroll then reportedly asked "If you like to go around with girls so much, why do you hurt them?", to which Arridy allegedly responded "Well, I didn't mean to".
Carroll further claimed that Arridy openly confessed to the murder of "the two little girls in Pueblo" and to have done it "just for meanness", reassuring Carroll that "If they let me alone I'll be good after this", but made no mention of rape. After around 90 minutes of interrogation, Carroll contacted the Pueblo police Chief J.
Arthur Grady about Arridy before calling the local press, who reported the sheriff's news the next morning on August 27, naming Arridy as the sole perpetrator in the Drain attacks, though his last name was initially misspelled as "Arddy" or "Ardy".
Education
Educational opportunities for Joe Arridy were significantly limited due to the societal challenges faced by those with disabilities during his lifetime. While explicit records of his education are not widely documented, it is likely that he did not receive the support necessary to develop academically, further compounding the injustices he faced in his lifetime.
On September 17, 1929, while Henry was serving a prison sentence for bootlegging, Arridy was sexually assaulted by a group of teen boys, who sodomized him and forced Arridy to perform oral sex on them. Arridy's juvenile probation officer walked in on the scene and wrote a complaint letter to the school's superintendent Dr. Benjamin Jefferson.
The probation officer misrepresented the rape as consensual, citing the same-sex and interracial nature of the assault as evidence that Arridy posed a moral danger to society. The officer wrote "I picked him up this morning for allowing some of the nastiest and dirtiest things done to him that I have ever heard of… The boy MUST [sic] be returned.
The people of the neighborhood are indignant as they are afraid of the boy and think he never should have been turned loose... I cannot understand why boys of the mentality of this one are allowed to return home".
The officer included a separate sheet listing Arridy's "myriad moral digressions", such as "manipulating the penis of Negro boys with his mouth" and "allowing […] boys to enter the ‘dirty road’", excusing the choice of words by claiming that he "would be more technical, but do not know the terms", and threatened to shift blame onto Jefferson
for allowing Arridy to leave the training school.
The fate of the assailants, if any, was not addressed in the letter.
