Netflix never fails to amaze with its true-crime documentaries. The streamer recently added another title to the catalog in the form of The Kings of Tupelo: A Southern Crime Saga. The docu-series showcases the surprising story of how a petty feud in a small town spiraled into a nationwide scandal.
The show follows Paul Kevin Curtis, a Tupelo, Mississippi-based man who was arrested for sending a ricin-laced letter to former President Barack Obama. As the authorities investigated the high-stakes case, the real culprit was revealed, and some shocking details about his past came out.
The whole fiasco began with a conspiracy theory about organ trafficking. Kevin became fascinated with the world of conspiracies and started to believe that his local hospital, where he worked, was involved in human organ trafficking. This led to the startling events depicted in The Kings of Tupelo.
Paul Kevin Curtis’s organ trafficking conspiracy theory in Netflix's The Kings of Tupelo
The organ trafficking conspiracy in The Kings of Tupelo revolves around Paul Kevin Curtis, a janitor and Elvis Presley impersonator from Tupelo, Mississippi. While working at the North Mississippi Medical Center, Kevin discovered a freezer in the morgue that contained severed body parts such as human heads.
This shocked Kevin, and he grew suspicious of illegal activity at the hospital. The hospital explained that the body parts were part of a legal organ donation program run by the Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency. However, Cutis refused to believe them.
He became convinced of a conspiracy and started his own investigation into the case. He accused local funeral homes of selling body parts on the black market and particularly targeted Steve Holland, a Mississippi state representative and funeral homeowner.
Kevin came up with legislation to ban organ trafficking and presented it to Holland, but Holland refused to support it. His distrust further deepened when he found out that Holland had started Mississippi’s first organ donation program.
As seen in The Kings of Tupelo, Kevin’s obsession with exposing the alleged black market took over his life. He started multiple social media accounts, wrote a book called Missing Pieces, and claimed police and helicopters were watching him.
His paranoia had a terrible impact on his life as he lost his job, his wife left him, and his relationship with his family was severed. However, Kevin’s obsession continued until he was arrested by the police in 2013 over the charge of sending poisoned letters to President Obama.
The organ trafficking conspiracy got Paul Kevin Curtis involved with James Everett Dutschke in The Kings of Tupelo
After Steve Holland refused to help Paul Kevin Curtis, the conspiracy theorist turned to other politicians to gather support for his organ trafficking ban bill. He came across James Everett Dutschke, a man active in local politics apart from being a karate instructor, who promised to publish the case in his newspaper.
However, the two turned rivals over time, and a personal struggle began. Kevin often mocked Dutschke on social media by inserting himself in his karate photos. He also claimed Dutschke’s accomplishments as his own to annoy him.
Their rivalry became so intense that Dutschke framed Curtis by sending the ricin letters to the President in his name. Dutschke had a reputation for being aggressive and going to great lengths to achieve his goals.
He even ran a failed political campaign against Holland while making false accusations and using edited photos. Investigators later found clear evidence linking Dutschke to the ricin letters, including castor beans and traces of ricin in his home.
Dutschke was arrested, while Curtis was set free. Dutschke pleaded guilty in 2014 and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. For Curtis, the experience was a turning point. After being cleared of all charges, he stopped chasing conspiracy theories and focused on fixing his life and relationships, only to get back to the itch after a 9 month period.
The Kings of Tupelo: A Southern Crime Saga is available to stream on Netflix.
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