A new Netflix series goes from Tupelo all the way to Washington, D.C. in what the popular streaming platform is calling “a winding tale that’s wilder than any yarn could spin.”
The Kings of Tupelo: A Southern Crime Saga is set to premiere this week and includes everything from an Elvis impersonator to a karate instructor to a refrigerator full of severed body parts and how all those elements played into an assassination attempt of not only the president of the United States but also a beloved circus elephant.
The three-part docuseries comes from the Emmy-winning Way brothers and recounts false accusations against Paul Kevin Curtis, a Tupelo native accused of sending ricin-laced letters to President Barack Obama, U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, and late Mississippi judge Sadie Holland.
While the charges against Curtis were eventually dropped as another local by the name of James Everett Dutschke was discovered to be the culprit, Curtis’ journey to freedom has never been covered like the docuseries promises to do. Last month, Netflix issued the trailer and a brief description teasing the true crime doc:
“In Tupelo, Mississippi, the memory of Elvis Presley looms large. The legendary singer was born there in 1935, and the town still plays host to a fervent fandom, replete with copious impersonators. Tupelo native Paul Kevin Curtis was raised to revere Elvis, and he eventually partnered with his brother Jack for Double Trouble, a first-of-its-kind double Elvis revue. But when Curtis’ day job in maintenance led him to a shocking discovery in the morgue, he went down an internet rabbit hole into a world of startling conspiracy.
“The Kings of Tupelo: A Southern Crime Saga, a new documentary from Emmy-winning directors Maclain Way and Chapman Way (Wild Wild Country, Untold), brings together Curtis’ family, friends, and foes to share every detail of this twisty, stranger-than-fiction tale. Curtis’ mission to expose the dark underbelly of Tupelo sparks a rivalry that starts locally but climbs to the highest office in Washington, DC. And, when a number of government officials receive mail laced with deadly ricin, Curtis has to prove that he’s not the devil in disguise – or go to prison for the rest of his life.”
If that doesn’t make you want to get the popcorn popping, nothing will. Suspicious minds will be able to tune in to The Kings of Tupelo: A Southern Crime Saga on Wednesday, Dec. 11. In the meantime, the trailer can be found below.
