In 2011, three Florida students died within weeks of each other after undergoing hypnosis sessions with their principal
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
A high school principal who hypnotized students later became the focus of national attention after three of those students died within a short period in 2011. The case is now being explored in a documentary series.
That year, three Florida teenagers—Marcus Freeman, Wesley McKinley, and Brittany Palumbo—died within weeks of each other. All had taken part in private hypnosis sessions with North Port High School principal Dr. George Kenney, whose actions are examined in the recent documentary series The Curious Case Of…
Kenney recorded his hypnosis sessions, and students were required to obtain written permission from their parents before participating. Some students later claimed that the sessions helped them improve their academic performance.
According to the Sarasota-Herald Tribune, he hypnotized as many as 75 individuals. Despite this, he did not hold a license as a professional hypnotherapist.
On March 15, 16-year-old Marcus Freeman was driving with his girlfriend when, as reported by The Guardian, she noticed he “had a strange look on his face.” Moments later, he crashed the vehicle and was killed. His girlfriend survived but suffered serious injuries.
Dr George Kenney was not licenced, but he ran hypnotism sessions with many of his students Inside Edition
In a separate documentary about the case titled Look Into My Eyes, a friend of Freeman said the teenager had sought hypnosis to help him manage pain while playing sports. The friend added that Freeman would sometimes finish games with a “blank stare.”
On April 8, 16-year-old McKinley died by suicide. Kenney acknowledged that he had hypnotized the teen the day before, stating that McKinley was anxious about an upcoming exam.
McKinley’s mother later said that after the session, her son appeared “almost zombie-like,” which she described as “very out of character for him.”
Friends of McKinley told investigators that he behaved unusually on the day he died. One friend said McKinley asked to be punched in the face.
Just weeks later, on May 4, Brittany Palumbo was found dead in her bedroom closet. Her family said she had also been hypnotized by Kenney in an effort to boost her test scores, though they said the sessions did not produce results.
Kenney initially denied hypnotizing Palumbo. Later, when questioned about whether he played a role in her death, he stated that he had “accidentally” lied earlier due to stress.
Kenney pleaded no contest to two charges against him and left Florida AMC
Authorities charged Kenney with two misdemeanor counts of practicing hypnosis without a license. He pleaded no contest, which allowed him to avoid jail time. He resigned from his position in June 2012.
In Look Into My Eyes, Kenney explained that “if you’re convicted of a felony, as an educator, you can lose your retirement,” describing why he chose to plead no contest. He later received two consecutive six-month probation terms and was ordered to complete 50 hours of community service.
In 2015, the Sarasota County School Board voted to award $200,000 to each of the three families affected by the deaths.
Content retrieved from: https://www.thatviralfeed.com/three-students-died-after-hypnosis-florida-principal/109684.
