“Southerners, we’re the best storytellers,” says former Mississippi state Rep. Steve Holland at the beginning of The Kings of Tupelo: A Southern Crime Saga. “Believe it or not, we actually like drama. And in this story right here, we’re proud to show you every characteristic of being a crazy Southerner.”
Tupelo, Mississippi, is the birthplace of Elvis Presley and the place where Machine Gun Kelly (the gangster, not the rapper) allegedly robbed his last bank. And true to Holland’s word, the documentary gathers a rollicking cast of characters that wouldn’t be out of place in a classic Southern Gothic novel, to share, in their own down-home style, the story of how one loudmouth Elvis impersonator and janitor ended up being accused of trying to poison the president of the United States.
“For the unique setting we always yearn for, Tupelo delivered,” Chapman and Maclain Way told Netflix. “What other place in the world could a child born in a shotgun shack rise to become the King of Rock-n-Roll? It had us thinking about American heroes and the grand dreams they sow for us. Then we met a rich cast of town locals, several of whom not only offered commentary on the case but who were themselves exceptionally talented in telling stories in their grand Southern tradition.”
The unbelievable story of Kings of Tupelo: A Southern Crime Saga unfurls over several years, and requires many voices in order to retell it, and it’s easy to get tangled up as their various yarns begin to overlap and intertwine with each other. In order to help keep the story straight, we’ve put together a guide to everyone’s backstory, relationship, and role within this peculiar, twisted saga. As the directors of the three-part doc series told us: “Welcome to Tupelo.”
Tupelo native Paul Curtis was raised to worship Elvis Presley, and went on to create a first-of-its-kind Elvis act called “Double Trouble,” alongside his brother Jack, while also starting his own janitorial company. His life took a dramatic turn in December 1999 when, while cleaning a hospital morgue, he discovered a refrigerator filled with body parts. He quickly delved into conspiracy theories about illegal body parts trafficking, but despite his efforts to raise awareness (with some success online), no one in his life seemed to listen. He drafted a bill proposal to ban the sale of body parts in Mississippi, but his efforts were thwarted. In April 2013, Kevin was arrested for allegedly sending ricin-laced letters to public figures, including President Obama. The FBI soon realized Kevin’s innocence and turned their attention to his local adversary, Wayne Newton impersonator James Everett Dutschke.
Jack Curtis is just an insurance agent—well, an insurance agent and an Elvis impersonator—who wants what’s best for his estranged brother.
Double Trouble imploded in 2003 when Kevin used a performance to make a public statement about illegal body parts trafficking, . but Jack continued performing with Kevin’s wife, Laura. Still, Jack stood by Kevin when he was wrongly accused in 2013.
Laura is one of those Elvis fans who can’t be wrong: she knows her ex-husband didn’t send those letters.
Growing up in Tupelo, Laura loved Elvis—and his impersonators, eventually marrying Kevin and becoming a backup singer for Double Trouble.. But after becoming disillusioned with Kevin’s obsession with conspiracies, Laura eventually filed for divorce.
Now an assistant district attorney in Mississippi, David Daniels found out the hard way what happens when you come at the King (or an impersonator).
A guitarist in Double Trouble, he ended up in an argument with Kevin that started out about Laura (Kevin’s wife), grew to encompass the alleged body parts trafficking conspiracy, and ended only after a gun was drawn.
A Mississippi state representative for 35 years, Holland’s political career was never wilder than when Kevin Curtis left his office all shook up.
Also the owner of a funeral home business and a major proponent of organ donation, Holland became the focal point of Kevin’s suspicions when he refused to support his proposed legislation. Kevin saw Holland’s rejection as evidence of deeper corruption.
When United States Senator Roger Wicker received a ricin-laced letter in 2013, it wasn’t because of his positions on abortion, the Second Amendment, or the climate. Oh no. Oh goodness no.
Senator Wicker met Kevin when Double Trouble performed at a party he threw for a young engaged couple. According to Kevin, Wicker made a comment that confirmed to him that he was aware of his body parts trafficking campaign; Wicker claims that he didn’t know about Kevin’s cause until later, when Kevin sent him a copy of his House bill proposal resolution. Kevin took Wicker’s cool response as further evidence of a conspiracy to supress his efforts.
After Kevin ended up in Judge Sadie Holland’s courtroom, he found a new place to dwell: prison, for six months.
Sadie Holland was Steve Holland’s mother and partner in the funeral-home business. As a judge in Tupelo, she presided over Kevin’s case when he was arrested for the altercation he’d had with Daniels. Unable to find legal representation, Kevin served as his own attorney and lashed out in court. The sentence she handed down, coupled with Steve Holland’s lack of support for his bill, deepened Kevin’s suspicions of a conspiracy working against him.
A Wayne Newton impersonator and martial-arts instructor who claimed membership in Mensa and gave the impression of a mysterious past, J. Everett Dutschke moved to Tupelo in 2004, and things were never quite the same after.
Initially, he appeared to be an ally of Kevin’s, especially when challenging Holland for a state house seat in 2007. However, their relationship soured when Kevin discovered Dutschke’s flirtation with Laura, and it worsened after Dutschke refused to publish Kevin’s manifesto, “Missing Pieces,” in a community newspaper. Their feud intensified, culminating in Kevin telling the FBI that Dutschke was framing him for the ricin letters. Dutschke remained confident even as the feds investigated him for his possible connection. Dutschke eventually claimed the ricin incident was a setup to silence him after he had uncovered sensitive information on the Obama administration.
