{"id":223847,"date":"2026-02-19T20:17:38","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T20:17:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/19\/dr-george-kenney-hypnotized-high-school-students-until-3-died\/"},"modified":"2026-02-19T20:17:38","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T20:17:38","slug":"dr-george-kenney-hypnotized-high-school-students-until-3-died","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/19\/dr-george-kenney-hypnotized-high-school-students-until-3-died\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr. George Kenney Hypnotized High School Students Until 3 Died"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 4<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>A high school principal hypnotizing his students and getting blamed for three unexpected deaths sounds like a bizarre scripted story.<\/p>\n<p>But this isn\u2019t someone\u2019s invention. This was real.<\/p>\n<p>After three students died within the same short period of time, Dr. George Kenney and his hypnosis sessions took the blame.<\/p>\n<p>This week\u2019s <em>The Curious Case Of \u2026<\/em> delved into this strange and tragic story. Was Kenney really to blame?<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><noscript><\/noscript><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_04-Cropped-1024x576.png\" alt=\"Dr. George Kenney.\" class=\"wp-image-548877 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_04-Cropped-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_04-Cropped-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_04-Cropped-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_04-Cropped-728x410.png 728w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_04-Cropped-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_04-Cropped-1080x607.png 1080w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_04-Cropped-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_04-Cropped.png 1496w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_04-Cropped.png\" loading=\"lazy\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Former high school principal Dr. George Kenney ignited a firestorm of controversy and ultimately resigned.<span class=\"image-caption-credit\"> (Image Credit: WFLA)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-this-painful-story-began-with-only-good-intentions\">This painful story began with only good intentions<\/h2>\n<p>In 2007, a Florida high school principal hypnotized students at an assembly during a lock-in. Despite a teacher\u2019s report, this was only the beginning. From there, it extended to one-on-one sessions with students.<\/p>\n<p>16-year-old Marcus Freeman began having one-on-one sessions with Dr. Kenney ahead of football games. Allegedly, the goal was to allow Freeman to ignore pain while playing football.<\/p>\n<p>(Kenney has hit back at this characterization, saying that this was not a pain-resistance hypnosis, but to help him process what was going on on the field)<\/p>\n<p>On March 15, 2011, Freeman was driving home with his girlfriend following a painful trip to the dentist.<\/p>\n<p>According to his girlfriend\u2019s report to police, he got a \u201cstrange look on his face\u201d and then crashed into a tree. She survived with serious injuries. Freeman died.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Hypnosis, Death, and a School Cover-Up | The Curious Case of... | ID\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sBA0bRQsTyM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Wesley McKinley was also 16 and undergoing hypnosis sessions from Dr. Kenney. He had three known sessions.<\/p>\n<p>He was preparing to audition at Juilliard. However, the day of his death, he began acting strangely.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was Friday afternoon. Wesley had come home from school, walked past me, put his bookbag down and walked out the back door,\u201d his mother recalled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe had told me friends were coming over,\u201d she described. \u201cI asked what time they were coming over, and he just walked past me out the back door \u2026 an hour later I heard sirens.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to Kenney, McKinley was a victim of \u201cdrama behind the scenes\u201d and cyberbullying. He was unaware that McKinley was suffering from depression.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_02-Cropped-1024x576.png\" alt=\"Dr. George Kenney with a student.\" class=\"wp-image-548878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_02-Cropped-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_02-Cropped-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_02-Cropped-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_02-Cropped-728x410.png 728w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_02-Cropped-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_02-Cropped-1080x607.png 1080w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_02-Cropped-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_02-Cropped.png 1745w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_02-Cropped-1024x576.png\" alt=\"Dr. George Kenney with a student.\" class=\"wp-image-548878 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_02-Cropped-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_02-Cropped-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_02-Cropped-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_02-Cropped-728x410.png 728w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_02-Cropped-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_02-Cropped-1080x607.png 1080w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_02-Cropped-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_02-Cropped.png 1745w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_02-Cropped.png\" loading=\"lazy\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An anonymous high school student experiences a hypnotherapy session with Dr. George Kenney.<span class=\"image-caption-credit\"> (Image Credit: AMC+)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-three-tragic-deaths-took-place-within-a-span-of-weeks\">Three tragic deaths took place within a span of weeks<\/h2>\n<p>17-year-old Brittany Palumbo met with Dr. Kenney at least once in late 2010. Her goal was to improve her SAT score \u2014 by grappling with her test-taking anxiety.<\/p>\n<p>Fast forward a few months, and Palumbo was stressed about not being accepted to UCF. She and her boyfriend of several years had also just broken up \u2014 a huge deal at 17.<\/p>\n<p>(Unlike a number of other students, Palumbo did not find that hypnosis helped. She did not perform well on her SAT.)<\/p>\n<p>On May 4, 2011, Palumbo announced that she was going to take a nap.<\/p>\n<p>At dinner time, her parents discovered her dead in her closet.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_01-Cropped-1024x576.png\" alt=\"George Kenney\" class=\"wp-image-548879\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_01-Cropped-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_01-Cropped-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_01-Cropped-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_01-Cropped-728x410.png 728w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_01-Cropped-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_01-Cropped-1080x608.png 1080w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_01-Cropped-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_01-Cropped.png 1738w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\"\/><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_01-Cropped-1024x576.png\" alt=\"George Kenney\" class=\"wp-image-548879 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_01-Cropped-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_01-Cropped-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_01-Cropped-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_01-Cropped-728x410.png 728w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_01-Cropped-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_01-Cropped-1080x608.png 1080w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_01-Cropped-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_01-Cropped.png 1738w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_01-Cropped.png\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Even his harshest critics do not believe that Dr. George Kenney had any bad intentions.<span class=\"image-caption-credit\"> (Image Credit: AMC+)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>No one believes that Dr. Kenney intended any harm to his students. Instead, they believe that he was allegedly irresponsible \u2014 and may have left them in vulnerable mental states, or inadvertently given them the tools with which to enter a detached state and end their lives.<\/p>\n<p>Other students came forward to defend Kenney. Some cited how much they believe that sessions with him helped them \u2014 including with test scores.<\/p>\n<p>The Florida Department of Health investigated a number of cases. They accused Kenney of violating state law \u2014 because he is not a licensed healthcare professional.<\/p>\n<p>In June 2012, Dr. Kenney resigned. He also pleaded no contest to practicing therapeutic hypnosis without a license.<\/p>\n<p>This is a misdemeanor offense. By taking this plea, he avoided the more serious charge of practicing therapy without a license. That felony charge could have meant prison time \u2014 and a loss of his retirement benefits.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_03-Cropped-1024x576.png\" alt=\"Dr. George Kenney and a group of hypnotized students.\" class=\"wp-image-548880\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_03-Cropped-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_03-Cropped-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_03-Cropped-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_03-Cropped-728x410.png 728w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_03-Cropped-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_03-Cropped-1080x608.png 1080w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_03-Cropped-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_03-Cropped.png 1758w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\"\/><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_03-Cropped-1024x576.png\" alt=\"Dr. George Kenney and a group of hypnotized students.\" class=\"wp-image-548880 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_03-Cropped-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_03-Cropped-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_03-Cropped-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_03-Cropped-728x410.png 728w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_03-Cropped-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_03-Cropped-1080x608.png 1080w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_03-Cropped-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_03-Cropped.png 1758w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0219_georgekenney_03-Cropped.png\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">At first. Dr. George Kenney displayed his hypnotism interest in a group setting.<span class=\"image-caption-credit\"> (Image Credit: AMC+)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-there-are-no-winners-in-this-story-only-sorrow\">There are no winners in this story \u2014 only sorrow<\/h2>\n<p>Following his plea, Kenney received two consecutive sentences of six months of probation. He was also ordered to complete 50 hours of community service.<\/p>\n<p>In December 2012, the parents of Freeman, McKinely, and Palumbo filed wrongful death suits against the Sarasota County school board.<\/p>\n<p>Per their suit, Kenney\u2019s hypnosis allegedly led to the deaths of their teens. And they said that it was the school board\u2019s responsibility to step in and prevent these unlicensed hypnotherapy sessions.<\/p>\n<p>In October of 2015, the families and the school board reached a settlement. Each family received $200,000, the maximum sum.<\/p>\n<p>There are no winners here. No one believes that Dr. Kenney intended any harm, and there are understandable doubts about whether his hypnosis sessions actually changed anything or played any role in these tragic deaths.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2026\/02\/george-kenney-hypnosis-3-students-died\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reading Time: 4 minutes A high school principal hypnotizing his students and getting blamed for three unexpected deaths sounds like a bizarre scripted story. But this isn\u2019t someone\u2019s invention. This was real. After three students died within the same short period of time, Dr. George Kenney and his hypnosis sessions took the blame. This week\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":223849,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-223847","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-hollywood"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223847","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=223847"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223847\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/223849"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=223847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=223847"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=223847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}