A new Netflix docuseries examines how the strange feud between an Elvis Presley impersonator and a martial arts instructor from Mississippi spiraled out of control—and even involved the U.S. president.
The Kings of Tupelo: A Southern Crime Saga debuted on the streamer Wednesday. The three-part documentary explores the bad blood between Paul Kevin Curtis—the former janitor and Elvis crooner wrongly accused of sending ricin-laced letters to three officials, including then-President Barack Obama—and rival James Everett Dutschke, who allegedly tried to frame him for the crime.
“My mama raised me on Jesus, Elvis, and cornbread. And, yes, in that order,” Curtis says in a recent trailer. “I had a peaceful, nice life. But one person hated me and made my life a living hell.”
Dutschke later pleaded guilty in the case, which drew national attention for its unusual circumstances. But, as the The Kings of Tupelo suggests, the story didn’t end there for either of the Mississippi men.
What happened in the ricin letter case?
Curtis and Dutschke made national headlines for their separate arrests in 2013 in a case that involved the mailing of ricin-laced letters to three public officials, including the president and Republican Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi. According to court affidavits, the letters to Obama and Wicker contained a unique signature: “I am KC and I approve this message.”
This initially led authorities to Curtis, a musician from Corinth, Mississippi, known for impersonating Presley and other artists such as Hank Williams Jr. and Prince. They arrested Curtis in April 2013 and charged the then-45-year-old with sending mail that contained a threat to kill or harm the president. He denied the accusations and claimed he was being framed.
The charges against Curtis were quickly dropped on April 23. Four days later, federal agents arrested 41-year-old Dutschke, revealing a bizarre feud between the two men who originally met years earlier.
The start of the dispute occurred over an unfounded conspiracy theory. According to The Washington Post, Curtis became upset when Dutschke refused to publish a newsletter article about an unfounded plot to sell body parts Curtis had “discovered” while working as a janitor at a local hospital.
The feud escalated with a series of unusual incidents. The pair reportedly had a physical altercation in a restaurant, after which Curtis became convinced that Dutschke stalked him online. In 2010, Dutschke threatened to sue Curtis over claims of Dutschke’s membership in Mensa, the organization for high-IQ individuals.
The war of words even spilled into court. Dutschke mockingly compared Curtis to Barney the Dinosaur, the children’s TV character, during a sentencing hearing where he maintained his innocence. But ultimately, Dutschke pleaded guilty to sending the letters and was sentenced to 25 years in prison in May 2014.
Curtis later filed multiple lawsuits about his arrest
Although he was cleared of all charges in the case, Curtis has claimed the ordeal damaged his personal and professional life. He told the Clarion Ledger in May 2014 that he began experiencing multiple forms of harassment—including having his car keyed and tires slashed—and that demand for his singing engagements completely disappeared. “My phone hasn’t rung for music once. Everywhere I go, there’s been this sort of prejudgment upon me,” he said.
In April 2015, Curtis filed a lawsuit in federal court in Aberdeen, Mississippi, alleging federal agents lied to him in an effort to get a confession. He also argued prosecutors continued to hold him in jail despite having no physical evidence he had mailed the ricin-coated letters. “The agents used everything short of waterboarding to force a confession from Kevin Curtis, all based on something he posted on Facebook,” the suit read, according to the Associated Press.
This complaint and an additional one filed by Curtis in January 2016 were both dismissed because of inaction. A district judge dismissed a third complaint in August 2017 due to lack of jurisdiction and failure to state a claim.
Curtis has shared little about his current life. He is a father of four children with his ex-wife, Laura. The couple divorced in 2002. With his involvement in The Kings of Tupelo, it seems likely Curtis will offer more details in the show.
Dutschke was quickly convicted in a separate case
The feud gone wrong with Curtis is only one component of Dutschke’s criminal record. In January 2014, he pleaded guilty in a separate case in Mississippi state court to inappropriately touching three students at his martial arts studio between 2007 through 2013.
Later that May—only eight days after his sentencing in the ricin case—Dutschke received an additional 20 years in prison for those three convictions, per The Washington Post. He has also been ordered to register as a sex offender upon release.
The Lee County Courier reported in 2015 that prosecutors believed Dutschke was part of a plot to kill an FBI agent while in prison. As a result, he was placed in solitary confinement.
Dutschke is currently incarcerated at the United States Penitentiary, Tucson in Arizona with an expected release date of August 15, 2034, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons database. Other notable inmates who have served time at the prison include disgraced former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar and notorious crime boss Whitey Bulger.
The facility, which houses 1,076 total inmates, is a Sex Offender Management Program institution that works to “create an institution climate conducive to voluntary participation in treatment” and reduce the need for protective custody for sexual offenders.
Dutschke appears through archival footage in the trailer for The Kings of Tupelo, but it’s unclear if he participated in any way. In any case, the docuseries is set to explore his unusual rivalry with Curtis and its unlikely culmination.
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
