Everett Dutschke and Kevin Curtis: Feud is at the Heart of the Ricin Investigation

The ricin case has become exponentially more weird. Do you remember the Elvis impersonator who was originally accused of sending letters containing the deadly poison ricin to President Obama and two other officials? Well, it turns out he’s definitely not responsible. Kevin Curtis, 45, was cleared of all charges and released from jail yesterday. Following his release he spoke briefly to the media.

So what does that mean for the investigation? It means that the person who sent the ricin letters is still out there somewhere but investigators are now focusing their attention on an alleged enemy of Curtis. Meet Everett Dutschke, a 41-year-old failed political candidate, bluesman and accused child molester. Apparently, the two have a long-standing feud. The feud began either at the taekwondo studio they studied, or because Dutschke was jealous of the life Curtis lead as a celebrity impersonator. The two have angrily e-mailed one another for years over content displayed on social-media profiles. USAToday reports, "The two men corresponded at one point because Dutschke wanted Curtis to take down a purportedly fake Mensa certificate off his Facebook page." The lawyer for Kevin Curtis, Christi McCoy has continuously stated that Dutschke set Curtis up.

When Dutschke ran for office in 2007 he lost to Democrat incumbent Daniel Holland. That might be significant because one of the ricin letters was sent to Holland’s mother, Judge Sadie Holland. The F.B.I. has raided Dutschke’s home but thus far no charges have been filed against him. The MySpace profile and YouTube videos posted by Dutschke indicate his interest in politics, but beyond that, it’s merely supposition. He is pictured in one photo with Senator Wicker, but it's important to note that Dutschke has not been charged in this case. 

Here is Dutschke speaking to the press outside of his home as authorities conducted a search of his residence: 

Investigators originally focused on Curtis because the phrasing used in the ricin letters was similar to previous letters Curtis wrote to politicians. Subsequent searches of his home, however, turned up no evidence of ricin or anything else that would indicate his involvement. Curtis was released from prison on Tuesday just before 5:00pm ET. 

The three ricin letters were sent to Mr. Obama, Republican Senator Roger Wicker and Lee County Judge Sadie Holland earlier this month.