Who sent the poisoned letter to the president? Identity and motives explained

Netflix The Kings of Tupelo explores the series of events that led to a poisoned letter sent to President Obama and the man believed responsible – but, in a twist, the prime suspect was not responsible for the assassination attempt. Netflix is ​​home to some interesting and even wild documentary series, and its latest addition (and falling into the “wild” category) is The Kings of Tupelo. This three-episode miniseries takes audiences to Tupelo, Mississippi, the hometown of Elvis Presley and, as such, home to many Elvis fans and impersonators, including Paul Kevin Curtis.

Kevin Curtis was born and raised in Tupelo and became a famous and successful Elvis impersonator, who later put on a show with his brother, who is also an Elvis impersonator, which they called “Double Trouble.” Kevin later began working as a janitor, which led him to a disturbing discovery that sparked a years-long investigation into the collection of human body parts. Kevin's investigation has earned him some powerful enemiesand one, in particular, went to great lengths to shut him up, framing him for the poison letter sent to President Obama and three others.

Everett Dutschke Sent the Poisoned Letter to President Obama (and Others)

Senator Roger Wicker and Judge Sadie Holland also received poisoned letters

In April 2013, a letter containing ricin, a highly toxic protein, was sent to President Obamabut he wasn't the only one. Mississippi Republican Senator Roger Wicker and Lee County Common Pleas Court Judge Sadie Holland also received a poisoned letter, and they all flew in from Memphis, Tennessee. All three letters contained the same message, which contained clues that led the FBI to Kevin Curtis, such as a reference to his book Missing pieces and your initials on the final line. Other details in the letters led to the arrest of Kevin Curtis shortly afterward.

However, after interrogating Kevin and searching his home, investigators were unable to find any evidence linking Kevin to the letters, and he actually didn't even know what ricin was (he actually thought they were talking about rice). They asked Kevin if he had any enemies who wanted to hurt him, and he gave them the name Everett Dutschke. Dutchchke was a local politician who tried to fill state Rep. Steve Holland's seat in Tupelo but failed, and who published his own newspaper.

Kevin met Dutschke when he was looking for someone to publish his investigation into the harvesting of human body parts, but Dutschke refused to publish anything about it. Their rivalry grew to the point that Dutschke, a highly intelligent man and member of Mensa, purchased castor seeds to extract ricin and sent the letters to the people mentioned above, crafting a letter that would lead investigators to Kevin.

Why Dutschke sent the poisoned letters and framed Kevin Curtis

Everett Dutschke and Kevin Curtis' feud went too far

Everett Dutschke's refusal to publish the Kevin Curtis investigation was just the beginning of an intense feud. Dutschke also worked with Kevin's brother Jack and became close to Kevin's ex-wife Laura, which only made Kevin's dislike for him grow. Kevin claims Dutschke was obsessed with him and Dutschke claims it was the oppositeand Kevin went to great lengths to mess with Dutschke. Kevin created a Facebook profile called “Billy Bobby Body Parts” where he shared photos of Dutschke's wife and photoshopped Dutschke's wedding photos, band photos, photos with other politicians, and more.

Furthermore, Kevin started dressing like Dutschke, started talking like him, studied karate since Dutschke was a well-known martial arts instructor, and even made a fake Mensa certificate for himself. In an effort to stop Kevin, Dutschke devised the plan to send the poisoned lettersbut after authorities searched his home, they found enough evidence that he was the one who sent the letters, such as a coffee grinder used to extract ricin and a receipt for purchasing castor seeds.

On April 27, 2013, Dutschke was arrested and, although he denied the allegations through his lawyer, he was charged with attempted use of a biological weapon the same day. Kevin Curtis was released and gave many interviews and appeared on several TV shows, while Dutschke pleaded guilty in May 2014 and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

What happened to Dutschke and Curtis after the poisoned letters

Everett Dutschke and Kevin Curtis finally agree on something

The poison letter scandal led Kevin Curtis to understand what is really important and what his “missing piece” really was, which is his family, as he had set them aside for years in favor of his investigation. Kevin gave up his investigation into the black market for human body parts and decided to focus on his family, but The Kings of Tupelo catches up with him nine months later. After Googling Dutschke's case and finding a photo involving her lawyer's husband, Kevin concluded that Dutschke could be working for the CIA, was framed, and is in fact innocent.

From prison, Dutschke confirms he worked for the CIA and received dangerous information that would have been bad for Obama and his people, and because he refused to renounce it, he became a target. Dutschke also believes he was framed and that there is much more to discover about his case, but insists it has nothing to do with Kevin Curtis. It is not known whether there will be another investigation into Dutschke's case following the release of The Kings of Tupelobut for now he is serving his sentence.