Three Florida Teens Died Within Weeks of Each Other After Hypnosis Sessions With Their Principal — The Unanswered Questions Behind the Case

In the spring of 2011, a Florida community was shaken by the deaths of three teenagers from North Port High School. What made the tragedies even more disturbing was that all three students had reportedly participated in private hypnosis sessions with the same person: their school principal, Dr. George Kenney. The deaths happened within weeks of one another, raising serious questions about the unusual practice taking place inside the school and the responsibility of the adults entrusted with protecting its students.

Kenney had become known for using hypnosis to help students manage test anxiety, improve concentration and enhance athletic performance. But investigators later found that he had hypnotized approximately 70 to 75 people, including students, staff members and parents, despite not holding a professional license to practice therapeutic hypnosis. He had received limited training and had reportedly been warned by school officials about conducting the sessions. Some students said the technique helped them, while others described unsettling experiences, including memory gaps and behavior they could not explain.

The first of the three deaths involved 16-year-old Marcus Freeman, a football player who had reportedly attended hypnosis sessions to improve his athletic performance and reduce his perception of pain during games. On March 15, 2011, Freeman was driving with his girlfriend when the vehicle left the road and crashed into a tree. His girlfriend survived. Accounts later described her noticing an unusual expression on his face shortly before the crash. Investigators also learned that Kenney had taught Freeman techniques for self-hypnosis, although the precise circumstances surrounding the accident remain a separate and important question.

Less than a month later, another student, 16-year-old Wesley McKinley, died by suicide on April 8. Kenney acknowledged that he had hypnotized McKinley the day before his death. The teenager’s family later described concerns about his behavior following the session. On May 4, 17-year-old Brittany Palumbo also died by suicide. She had reportedly sought Kenney’s help with anxiety surrounding her SAT exams. Her parents questioned whether the sessions had played a role in what happened to their daughter. The three families were left searching for answers, while the school community struggled to understand how such tragedies could occur so close together.

The investigation brought further scrutiny to Kenney’s conduct. He was charged with misdemeanors related to practicing therapeutic hypnosis without a license. In 2012, he pleaded no contest and received probation and community service rather than a prison sentence. He resigned from his position, and his case became the subject of legal proceedings and public debate. In 2015, the Sarasota County School Board agreed to pay $200,000 to each of the three families, for a total settlement of $600,000. The settlement resolved the families’ civil claims against the school board, but it did not establish that hypnosis caused the teenagers’ deaths.

Years later, the case continues to attract attention through documentaries and renewed reporting. For the families, the central questions have never been simply about an unusual technique used by a principal. They concern supervision, professional boundaries and whether warning signs were taken seriously before three young lives were lost. Although no definitive causal connection between Kenney’s hypnosis sessions and the deaths was established, the circumstances remain a troubling reminder of the importance of safeguarding students and ensuring that those in positions of authority operate within clear professional limits.

Source: https://people.com/inside-george-kenney-hypnosis-deaths-case-12207281