ADVERTISEMENT

Freed Ricin Suspect Gives Bizarre CNN Interview

Calls his lawyer the 'Lion Queen,' told Feds 'I'm not a rice lover'

Paul Kevin Curtis, the man formerly accused of trying to poison President Obama and others with ricin-tainted letters before having the charges dropped, was a guest on "Piers Morgan Live" Tuesday that left a major impression on his interviewer.

Curtis, an Elvis impersonator from Mississippi, was confused from the outset by the charges against him, confusing ricin, a deadly toxin derived from castor beans, with rice.

"I heard the word ricin for the first time in my life by a federal agent of homeland security while being interrogated for four hours at a federal building in Oxford, and I thought he said rice for about an hour," Curtis said. "I said, 'I don't even eat rice usually. I'm not a rice lover ... I'm standing in front of my home with my little puppy Moo Cow and I'm completely overwhelmed at the hooded machine gun guys. It looked like the scene out of a movie. I was just overwhelmed."

He had considerable praise for his attorney, Christi McCoy, calling her a "lion queen" for her work in uncovering what he said was an attempt to frame him by a political enemy, who he said has had it out for him for several years. The man, Curtis said, was upset about Curtis' belief that he had uncovered a conspiracy involving body parts trafficking.

"It's like a train has been lifted off my shoulders, sir," Curtis said.

Published under: Video