Principal’s Secret Hypnosis Sessions Linked to 3 Teen Deaths
In the spring of 2011, tragedy struck the quiet community of North Port, Florida. Within weeks, three students from North Port High School died. Each had one unusual connection: all had participated in private hypnosis sessions with their principal, Dr. George Kenney.
Kenney, a longtime educator, had developed a fascination with hypnosis years earlier. After attending a conference demonstration and later completing a five-day course with the National Guild of Hypnosis in 2009, he began incorporating hypnotic techniques into school activities. He was never a licensed hypnotherapist.
Over time, Kenney hypnotized more than 70 people, including students, staff, athletic teams and parents. Some students credited him with improving their academic performance, athletic focus and confidence. Others would later describe lingering discomfort and confusion about what had happened during sessions.
The case is now revisited in the February 16 episode of the Investigation Discovery series The Curious Case Of..., as well as the 2023 docuseries True Crime Story: Look Into My Eyes.
Hypnosis in the School Hallways
Initially, Kenney demonstrated hypnosis during school events such as a Project Graduation lock-in party and JROTC activities. Soon, he began offering private sessions to students struggling with test anxiety, focus issues or athletic performance.
Parents were required to sign permission slips. Sessions were videotaped and documented.
“It was excellent training,” Kenney said in Look Into My Eyes. “I felt I was effective and knowledgeable about what I was doing.”
One student, Eric Williams, said his test scores improved significantly after sessions. Another former student, Stephen Ware, credited Kenney with helping him finally pass Florida’s FCAT exam after multiple failed attempts.
“You could trust him,” Ware said. “You're in a dream state, but he states [if] you, at any time, are not OK with something, you're free to come back.”
But not every experience was positive. Some students later alleged they were humiliated or confused during sessions. In legal testimony cited by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, one student said he awoke with lipstick smeared on his face and had no memory of how it happened.
Kenney later admitted he did not screen students for mental health conditions before hypnotizing them and said he was unaware hypnosis could have adverse effects on individuals with depression.
A Devastating Sequence of Events
The first tragedy came on March 15, 2011. Sixteen-year-old football player Marcus Freeman died after veering off the road and crashing into a tree. His girlfriend survived the accident. Freeman had reportedly undergone frequent hypnosis sessions before games.
Kenney acknowledged hypnotizing Freeman to help him slow down his perception on the field but denied using hypnosis to eliminate physical pain.
Weeks later, on April 8, 2011, 16-year-old Wesley McKinley died by suicide. McKinley, a talented musician preparing for a Juilliard audition, had participated in three sessions with Kenney, including one the day before his death.
McKinley’s mother, Peggie, described strange behavior following hypnosis sessions.
“He was almost zombie-like, very out of character for him,” she said in the docuseries.
On May 4, 2011, 17-year-old Brittany Palumbo also died by suicide. She had attended at least one hypnosis session in hopes of improving her SAT scores.
“I don't think that he programmed her, obviously, to go in and [die by] suicide,” her mother Patricia said in Look Into My Eyes. “But I think he possibly gave her a tool that allowed her to do what she did.”
Kenney denied that his hypnosis contributed to the deaths and has said he was unaware of any underlying depression among the students.
“I do not understand ... what went on with Wesley,” he said. “He had a bright future. That one still haunts me.”
Investigation and Legal Fallout
Following the third death, Kenney was placed on administrative leave. The Sarasota County School Board hired a private investigative agency to examine his activities.
The Florida Department of Health later concluded Kenney had violated state law by practicing therapeutic hypnosis without a license. He pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge in 2012 and resigned to avoid potential felony charges that could have resulted in prison time and loss of retirement benefits.
He was sentenced to two consecutive six-month probation terms and 50 hours of community service.
In 2015, the families of the three students settled wrongful death lawsuits against the Sarasota County School Board. Each family received $200,000, the maximum allowed under state law.
Lingering Questions
More than a decade later, the case continues to spark debate. Some former students maintain Kenney helped them. Others say the sessions left them unsettled or worse.
The central question remains unresolved: did hypnosis play a role in the deaths, or was it a tragic coincidence in a small community grappling with grief?
Kenney has consistently denied causing harm. The families of Marcus Freeman, Wesley McKinley and Brittany Palumbo continue to question whether an unlicensed principal should ever have been allowed to hypnotize students in the first place.
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