Naman Shrestha
In Netflix’s ‘The Kings of Tupelo: A Southern Crime Saga,’ the focus is on Paul Kevin Curtis, an Elvis impersonator who becomes obsessed with conspiracy theories and gets involved in a feud with a local politician in Tupelo, Mississippi. The three-part documentary series delves deeper into his theories and beliefs about body parts trafficking on the black market and how he was arrested in 2013 for allegedly attempting to poison the president of the United States.
Paul Kevin Curtis Was Framed for Sending Risin-Laced Letters to Public Figures
Paul Kevin Curtis grew up to become a huge Elvis Presley fan, so much so that he started impersonating him in public. As he earned recognition from his community, he decided to join forces with his brother Jack and create the very first Elvis act called “Double Trouble.” With everything going fine in his personal and professional life, his world turned upside down when he discovered severed body parts inside a refrigerator at a hospital morgue in December 1999.
This discovery led him to the rabbit hole of digging deep into all kinds of conspiracy theories about body parts trafficking on the dark web. Paul became extremely obsessed with uncovering the truth of the matter and letting others know all about it. However, when nobody took him and his theories seriously, he came up with a bill proposing the government ban the sale of body parts in the state of Mississippi. His life took a darker turn when the conspiracy theorist was taken into custody in April 2013 for allegedly sending letters containing traces of ricin, a highly poisonous element, to US officials, including President Barack Obama, Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, and Judge Sadie Holland.
When the authorities could not find any evidence of ricin at his house and learned that he had no idea about what it was during the interrogation, they dropped the charges. Meanwhile, Paul claimed that it was a high possibility that James Everett Dutschke framed him as they had been feuding for a few years. It turned out that the Elvis impersonator was right about James, who was eventually convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison for “developing and possessing the biological agent ricin and subsequently mailing ricin-laced, threatening letters including one that threatened bodily harm to the President of the United States.”
Paul Kevin Curtis Still Impersonates Elvis Presley Regularly For Shows
Hailing from the city of Natchez in Mississippi, Paul Kevin Curtis went to Morgantown Junior High School, where he was a part of the choir. Being in the choir gave him the opportunity to travel out of town and participate in talent shows. To complete his schooling, he attended Natchez High School for a couple of years. However, he did not have a pleasant time there as he was the only student not residing in a house and paying rent for an apartment.
In order to get by and support his family, he also worked full-time while being an integral member of a local rock band called “Fairchild,” formally known as “Kixx.” A few years after passing out from high school in 1985 and completing college, Paul founded his own commercial and residential cleaning business called “The Cleaning Crew” in 1992. He and his cleaning company were hired by the North Mississippi Medical Center, where he came across the severed body parts in 1999. After the entire debacle of conspiracy theories and ricin-laced letters, Paul started working on his screenplay called ‘Missing Pieces,’ which still seems to be in the works. Moreover, he continues to perform his Elvis impersonation acts at shows.
Paul Kevin Curtis Has Learned to be Grateful For His Family and Friends
When Paul Kevin Curtis was not on good terms with his family, he had the love and company of his furry little baby, a chihuahua named Moo Cow. Unfortunately, in 2018, she was killed by a stalker despite filing multiple police complaints about the stalker. She was a huge part of his life, and to this day, he understandably misses her. He opened up, “I know there will never be another little friend like her and I still miss her everyday.”
In late 2024, Paul reunited with his brother Jack, and they performed their Elvis impersonation act together after several years at the Lyric Theatre in Tupelo, Mississippi. In December, in a tragic turn of events, he also lost one of his closest friends, Simba. Having gone through so many difficult years, Paul reflected on his life and understood the importance of having his loved ones around. Thus, although he still delves into the possible conspiracies surrounding body parts trafficking and other things, he seemingly maintains a healthy and loving relationship with his family and friends, including his parents and brother.
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