In spring 2011, North Port High School in Florida was rocked by tragedy when three students — quarterback Marcus Freeman, and classmates Wesley McKinley and Brittany Palumbo — died within weeks of each other. All three had received private hypnosis sessions from their school principal, Dr. George Kenney. Initially dismissed as separate incidents, the unusual timing eventually raised suspicion that the hypnosis sessions might be connected to the deaths. This true-crime saga would uncover a bizarre high-school “hypnosis program” and a legal battle over unlicensed mental health practice.
The Fatal Crash of Marcus Freeman
On March 15, 2011, 16-year-old Marcus Freeman was driving home from a dental appointment when the unthinkable happened. Witnesses say Marcus, who had been singing along to music, suddenly went rigid and veered off the highway at high speed. He crashed into a tree and was killed; his girlfriend survived with serious injuries. Marcus had sought hypnosis from Principal Kenney to help manage pain before football games. Friends later recalled that after hypnosis sessions, Marcus would enter deep “trance[s]” during which he felt no pain but sometimes had a blank stare. His death was ruled an accident, but no drugs or external factors were found in the autopsy. The school and community were stunned that their healthy, promising quarterback was gone so suddenly.
Three Tragic Student Deaths
Barely weeks later, two more North Port High students died under equally baffling circumstances. On April 8, 2011, 16-year-old Wesley McKinley was found dead by suicide. He had seen Kenney for hypnosis the day before his death as he prepared for a Juilliard music audition. In Wesley’s last interaction, his mother later said he acted “almost zombie-like, very out of character for him” after the session. Then on May 4, 2011, 17-year-old Brittany Palumbo also died by suicide. Brittany had been hypnotized by Kenney to improve her SAT scores, but after the session she reportedly did not remember the hypnosis and became distraught when her scores didn’t improve. Brittany’s mother later said she believed Kenney “gave her a tool that allowed her to do what she did”.
- March 15, 2011: Marcus Freeman (16) crashes his car and dies.
- April 8, 2011: Wesley McKinley (16) dies by suicide, the day after a hypnosis session.
- May 4, 2011: Brittany Palumbo (17) dies by suicide, after a series of sessions to ease test anxiety.
All three teens were well-liked and high-achieving, making their deaths within a few weeks extraordinarily rare and heart-wrenching for North Port, a close-knit Florida community. Students and parents began to whisper that something about Kenney’s hypnosis might have played a role.
Dr. George Kenney’s Hypnosis Program
Dr. George Kenney was the longtime North Port High principal who secretly ran the hypnosis sessions. For years, Kenney had focused on improving student performance: he introduced new programs and championed individual support. In 2009 he attended a private hypnosis training course (National Guild of Hypnosis program) and became convinced he could help students with issues like test anxiety and athletic pain. He began using hypnosis in class demonstrations and then offered recorded one-on-one sessions, requiring parental permission each time.
By 2011 Kenney had hypnotized dozens of students — and even some staff — on school grounds. One internal review found he had conducted at least 75 hypnosis sessions over five years. Students reported benefits at first; one athlete said Kenney’s hypnosis dramatically reduced his test anxiety, and another said it even improved game performance. However, Kenney never obtained any professional license to practice “therapeutic hypnosis.” Florida law (Chapter 485) explicitly limits hypnotherapy to licensed medical or mental health practitioners. Kenney acknowledged in legal documents that he never asked students about their medical history and didn’t fully understand potential risks.
Despite warnings from the school district, Kenney continued his hypnosis program. He claimed he was helping students succeed: he even recorded sessions and posted podcasts about reducing anxiety with hypnosis. But critics later argued that a school principal was effectively providing unlicensed therapy to vulnerable teenagers. Some students afterward admitted feeling uneasy — reporting moments after hypnosis when they felt disoriented, or even smoked medications without remembering it. In one documented case, a hypnotized student woke up with lipstick smeared on his face and no memory of how it got there. These anecdotes, along with the cluster of deaths, began to raise alarm.
Investigation, Charges and Settlement
Following Brittany’s death, the Sarasota County School Board opened a formal investigation into Kenney’s activities. Investigators quickly found that Kenney had ignored orders to stop the hypnosis sessions. Under pressure, Kenney admitted he had lied about never hypnotizing Palumbo and Freeman — he had indeed performed sessions with both students. The probe confirmed Kenney was an unlicensed practitioner running a private “mind-healing” program at school.
In January 2012 prosecutors charged Kenney with two misdemeanors for practicing “therapeutic hypnosis” without a license. (Florida law treats that offense as a second-degree misdemeanor.) Facing the possibility of a felony sentence, Kenney took a no-contest plea to avoid harsher penalties. He resigned as principal in June 2012 and was given probation and community service. The plea deal specifically barred him from hypnosis practice during his probation. In essence, Kenney escaped jail time; he also surrendered his teaching license in 2013 under state pressure. He reportedly moved away from Florida and retired.
Meanwhile, the families of Marcus, Wesley and Brittany sued the school district for wrongful death, arguing the board should have stopped Kenney. In October 2015 the Sarasota school board quietly settled with the families. Each family received $200,000 — the legal limit for government settlements in Florida — totaling $600,000. The settlement did not assign criminal blame, but acknowledged the school’s oversight failed the students. Parents publicly expressed frustration that Kenney never apologized. As the families’ attorney Damian Mallard grimly noted, losing a child is “probably the worst loss” a parent can suffer, made worse by the fact that “someone decided to perform medical services on kids without a license”. In his words, “He altered the underdeveloped brains of teenagers, and they all ended up dead because of it”. For Kenney, the saga ended with only probation and his remaining pension; for North Port, it reopened wounds the community feared would never heal.
Understanding Hypnosis and the Law
Hypnosis is a legitimate clinical tool when used by trained professionals. In therapy, it can help with pain management, anxiety or habits. However, reputable guidelines stress that hypnosis must be used cautiously: it is generally safe, but can sometimes produce confusion, false memories or even trigger hidden psychiatric issues if done improperly. Crucially, Florida’s statutes restrict “therapeutic hypnosis” to licensed medical or mental health practitioners. The law defines hypnosis broadly as any induced trance or suggestion used for treating an illness or injury. Kenney, as a school principal (not a doctor, therapist or dentist using hypnoanesthesia), clearly fell outside the law’s exemptions. In fact, Florida’s 1961 Hypnosis Law notes that only dentists (for anesthesia) or other licensed “healing arts” professionals may legally use hypnotic techniques for therapeutic purposes. That’s why his charges carried criminal weight.
In Kenney’s case, he admitted ignorance of the risks. Documents reveal he never asked about students’ mental health or warned them about potential side-effects. After his arrest, some former students alleged lasting impacts — blank stares, memory gaps and even bouts of disorientation months later. Parents like Brittany’s Patricia Palumbo worried her daughter lost her “fight to live” because she couldn’t recall much of her session. While experts say there is no proven scientific link between Kenney’s hypnosis and the suicides or crash, the coincidences are chilling. Notably, investigators found no drugs or external impairments in Marcus’s crash report, leaving his unexplained trance as the only clue.
Lessons Learned and School Safety
The North Port case is a sobering reminder that even well-intentioned school programs must respect boundaries. Dr. Kenney had been seen as a caring principal who helped improve his school’s academics and athletics. Many students defended him, even calling him a “scapegoat” for grieving families. But this tragedy underscores the importance of professional oversight. Schools should never permit unlicensed “therapy” by staff. Any mental health or performance intervention should involve qualified counselors or medical personnel. Otherwise students may be put at risk without anyone realizing.
Parents and educators alike have taken note of the warning signs in this story. Red flags included students acting unusually “zombie-like” or evasive after sessions, and secretive behaviors or sudden mood shifts. Families now know to ask pointed questions: Is this person licensed? What training do they have? Schools, in turn, are reminded to train staff on mental health issues and to immediately halt any unconventional methods. The Florida School Superintendent’s office even sent a memo reminding districts that hypnosis requires medical licensure.
Key takeaways for parents and schools:
- Check credentials: Only licensed professionals (doctors, psychologists, counselors) should perform hypnotherapy. Florida law makes hypnosis by educators illegal.
- Monitor effects: Watch for warning signs in teens — blank stares, confusion, personality changes after any therapy.
- Ask questions: Understand any school wellness program thoroughly. Insist on transparency about what methods are used.
- Support mental health: Promote open dialogue. If a student feels anxious or depressed, encourage counseling with trained staff, not “miracle cures.”
Help and Resources
This story, though tragic, can save lives by raising awareness. If you are a student or parent worried about mental health or unsafe practices: reach out immediately. A trusted adult, school counselor, or doctor should always be your first stop.
- For immediate help: If you or someone you know is suicidal or in crisis, call or text the U.S. Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 (USA). Outside the U.S., consult your local emergency number or visit the Befrienders Worldwide directory.
- School resources: Talk to your school counselor or nurse about any concerns. They are trained to handle crises and connect you with mental health professionals.
- Mental health support: Organizations like the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (afsp.org) and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (nami.org) offer guidance for families and teens.
Above all, remember that dangerous practices can lurk under a friendly face. Always prioritize safety: if an intervention feels wrong or you see distress in a friend, speak up. No hypnosis recording or off-label “therapy” is worth risking a child’s life. By staying informed and vigilant, communities can prevent a tragedy like North Port’s from happening again.