3 Students Die After Principal's Hypnosis; $600K Payout Awarded

A bizarre case involving a high school principal, three student deaths and as many as 75 students who were hypnotized has come to an end in Sarasota County.

The school district has agreed to pay out $200,000 to each of the families of three students who died shortly after being hypnotized by former North Port High School Principal George Kenney, several media outlets have reported.

While it is unclear if the hypnosis played a role in the deaths, the school board voted 4-0 in favor of the payout. School Board attorney Art Hardy told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune the board was “just happy to put this behind them.”

Kenney admitted to hypnotizing Wesley McKinley, 16, just a day before the teen committed suicide in April 2011. Another student who had been hypnotized by Kenney, Brittany Palumbo, 17, also committed suicide in 2011. Marcus Freeman, 16, died in a fatal car crash that year after attempting to hypnotize himself , the paper reported.

An investigation into Kenney’s actions revealed that he hypnotized as many as 75 kids and staff members between 2006 and the date of McKinley’s death.

Kenney was placed on leave after the deaths and resigned in June 2012. He was ultimately charged with two misdemeanors in 2012, including one for practicing hypnosis without a license. He served one year of probation.

Kenney reportedly learned hypnosis at a training center in DeLand. He used hypnosis, ABC News reported, to help students overcome test anxiety and improve performance.

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