Who is James Everett Dutschke? Taekwondo and karate instructor who sent ricin letters to Barack Obama & US officials
James Even though Everett Dutschke claimed he was only producing fertilizer, he was found guilty of delivering letters containing ricin to US authorities and Barack Obama.
What we know about what transpired and why he posted the packages containing poison is as follows.
Who is James Everett Dutschke?
Martial arts instructor James Everett Dutschke hails from Tupelo, Mississippi.
In April 2013, he became well-known for delivering letters laced with ricin to prominent US politicians, including former President Barack Obama.
Prior to his arrest, Dutschke, who was 41 years old when he was sentenced in May 2014, ran a taekwondo studio in Tupelo.
The US Capitol’s off-site mail facility in Washington, D.C., intercepted poisoned letters sent to Lee County Justice Court Judge Sadie Holland and Mississippi Republican Senator Roger Wicker in April 2013.
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Elvis impersonator arrested
In connection with the case, police first detained Elvis impersonator Paul Kevin Curtis.
But once investigators discovered no evidence connecting Curtis to the crime, he was freed.
After then, the investigation turned to Dutschke, who had previously been at odds with Curtis.
James Everett Dutschke’s fued with Paul Kevin Curtis
When Dutschke started working at an insurance agency for Curtis’ brother Jack in 2005, they became friends. It started out amicable but eventually soured for a number of reasons:
- Newsletter dispute: Dutschke refused to publish Curtis’ allegations about body-part trafficking in a newsletter he produced.
- Physical confrontation: The two had a physical altercation at a Tupelo restaurant.
- Online stalking accusations: Curtis became convinced that Dutschke was stalking him online.
- Mensa membership controversy: Curtis claimed on Facebook to be a Mensa member, which angered Dutschke, an actual Mensa member. Dutschke threatened to sue Curtis for fraud over this false claim.
- Mutual accusations: Their feud centered around “who is the biggest liar and is putting false information on their website,” according to Curtis’ lawyer.
By delivering the ricin-laced letters to Obama and the other authorities, Dutschke allegedly implicated Curtis, which resulted in Curtis’ first arrest. This long-standing antagonism finally reached a breaking point.
True cuprit
Dutschke was taken into custody by federal officials at his Tupelo residence on April 27, 2013.
He was indicted on five counts, including making and utilizing ricin as a weapon and threatening Judge Holland, Senator Wicker, and President Obama over the mail. He was first charged with attempting to use a biological weapon.
Target motives
Although Dutschke’s motivations are yet unknown, they seem to be based on a convoluted web of personal grudges.
Due to her unsuccessful campaign against her son, state Representative Steve Holland, Dutschke had prior encounters with Judge Holland.
Dutschke attacked the judge’s son in a speech full of personal and professional jabs during a 2007 political rally in Verona, Mississippi.
He may have decided to implicate Curtis for the ricin letters because of his feud with Curtis.
Just making fertilizer
Dutschke entered a guilty plea to the accusations against him in May 2014.
He subsequently made an effort to change his guilty plea, claiming that he was simply guilty of making a harmless fertilizer out of castor beans.
Dutschke eventually agreed to a 25-year prison sentence; nonetheless, he might have received a life sentence and a lengthier penalty in state court if he had not withdrawn his guilty plea.
Dutschke was sentenced to serve his time in a high-security federal prison by US District Judge Sharion Aycock.
The Kings of Tupelo: A Southern Crime Saga
The Kings of Tupelo: A Southern Crime Saga is a three-part true crime documentary that examines the case surrounding the ricin letters.
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“In this bizarre true-crime tale, an Elvis impersonator’s conspiracy theory sets off a feud that spirals into an attempted presidential assassination,” according to Netflix’s description of the program.
On December 11, 2024, The Kings of Tupelo: A Southern Crime Saga will be available on Netflix.
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