Skip to main content

School Board Settles over Teens' Death by Hypnosis

CBN

Share This article

A Florida school board has awarded a total of $600,000 to the families of three high school students who died after being hypnotized.

One of the victims, 16-year-old Wesley McKinley, committed suicide in April 2011, just one day after he had been hypnotized by former North Port High School Principal George Kenney.

Another student, 17-year-old Brittany Palumbo, also committed suicide in 2011 after she was hypnotized by Kenney.

A third teen, 16-year-old Marcus Freeman reportedly died in a automobile accident that same year after experimenting with self-hypnosis taught to him by Principal Kenney.

A Sarasota County School District investigation found that Kenney had hypnotized at least 75 students over a five-year period starting in 2006.

One high school athlete testified the former principal hypnotized him as many as 40-times to improve his performance on the basketball court.

The parents of the three students filed a lawsuit alleging that Kenney had practiced medicine on their children without a license.

Their attorney, David Mallard said "the underdeveloped brains of the teens had been altered and they ended up dead because of it."

Kenney resigned as North Port High School principal in 2012 after he was charged with practicing therapeutic hypnosis without a license.

On Oct. 1, as the trail for the case against the school district neared, the school board voted 4-0 to award the McKinley, Palumbo, and Freeman families $200,000 each, the maximum amount allowed in the State of Florida.

Mallard insisted the families had not sued for money, but they just wanted to hold the school district accountable to ensure that others would not fall victim to a similar incident.

Kenney reportedly now lives in North Carolina where he operates a bed and breakfast. Mallard says the families are still disappointed he escaped punishment.

"He never apologized, never admitted wrongdoing," Mallard said. He "is now living comfortably in retirement in North Carolina with his pension."

What do you think about this story? Given the death of these teens, do you think hypnosis is an acceptable treatment for teens, or anyone else? Let us know your thoughts.

 

Share This article