Carley O’Boyle, a Florida high school sophomore, was thrilled when star athlete Marcus Freeman asked her to be his girlfriend in 2009. As a cheerleader and the quarterback, they became part of the school’s “it couple.” However, their teenage love story came to a tragic end on March 15, 2011, when Freeman, while driving O’Boyle home, suddenly froze at the wheel of his father’s truck. O’Boyle screamed, but Freeman didn’t respond, and everything went black. When she woke up in the hospital, she was told Freeman had passed away.
This devastating event marked just one of several tragedies that struck North Port High School that semester. Within weeks, two more students, Wesley McKinley and Brittany Palumbo, both 16 and 17 years old respectively, also died—McKinley by suicide and Palumbo, an aspiring musician, also taking her own life.
The Hypnosis Sessions That Raised Controversy
What followed sparked widespread controversy in the community: word spread that all three students had undergone private hypnosis sessions with George Kenney, the popular principal of the school. Kenney, although not a licensed hypnotherapist, had been offering therapy for anxiety and other issues through hypnosis to students, teachers, and parents. Investigations later revealed that he had conducted hypnosis sessions on school property with up to 75 individuals between 2006 and 2011. Despite repeated warnings from administrators, Kenney continued the sessions, leading to an investigation by the Sarasota County School Board.
The situation became even more unsettling when some speculated that Freeman, who had been taught self-hypnosis by Kenney, may have been in a trance when he crashed his truck. Others wondered whether Kenney’s hypnosis had contributed to McKinley and Palumbo’s suicides. Jenna Wilson, a former student, shared her belief that her best friend, Palumbo, had shown no signs of depression before undergoing hypnosis, leaving her to wonder if the sessions had played a role in her death.
Legal Action and Kenney’s Fall from Grace
Kenney, 66, was charged in 2012 with practicing therapeutic hypnosis without a license. He pleaded no contest and was sentenced to one year of probation but avoided prison time. Following his suspension in 2011, Kenney resigned from his position and retired with a full pension.
In 2015, the parents of the three deceased teens won a $600,000 settlement in a wrongful death suit against the Sarasota County School Board. Despite the legal outcome, many former students remain divided about Kenney’s legacy. While some recall his passion for students and his work, others, like O’Boyle, still struggle with the pain of loss. O’Boyle, now a married mom, reflects in the docuseries The Curious Case Of… on the enduring pain of losing Freeman, describing him as “the light in my life at the time that I needed” before his tragic death.
The Unanswered Questions
The case continues to raise troubling questions about the ethics of hypnosis and its potential effects, especially when performed by an unlicensed practitioner. The families of the teens who died continue to grapple with their losses, and former students remain torn over Kenney’s actions. The unsettling story, which is explored in-depth in the docuseries, highlights the ongoing emotional impact on those who were affected by the events at North Port High School.
