True Crime Obsessed: Episode 450

"Look Into My Eyes Part 1" (Episodes 1 & 2 Recap)

Release Date: September 2, 2025
Hosts: Jillian Pensavale & Patrick Hinds

Episode Overview

This episode covers the first two installments of the true crime documentary series Look Into My Eyes, focusing on the disturbing case of North Port High School in Florida, where principal Dr. George Kenney practiced hypnosis on students. Within one year, three students—all of whom had sessions with Kenney—died (one in a car accident, two by suicide). The hosts balance their trademark humor and sass with genuine outrage at the abuses of power, exploring the risks of unchecked authority in high school settings and how well-intentioned actions can go catastrophically wrong.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: North Port, FL

• The episode opens with hosts recounting the environment: small-town Florida, alligator warnings, insular culture, and a frequently-maligned high school with 2,000 students and a reputation for trouble.
• Memorable quote/Hot take (05:06): "You're either an idiot or a criminal if you went there. Their words, not mine." – Patrick
• The school's negative reputation is critiqued as unfairly coloring perceptions of the students.

2. The Principal and Hypnosis

• Dr. George Kenney, after 29 years as principal, becomes obsessed with hypnosis following a hypnotist’s performance at a ‘lock-in’ graduation party. He attends a five-day training at the Omni Hypnosis Center (dubiously compared to "the Royal Tampa Academy of Dramatic Tricks").
• Kenney starts practicing hypnosis on students during school hours, often sidelining classes for these sessions—citing improved grades and reduced test anxiety as benefits.
• Quote (18:17):
  Lawyer: "You have one week of training in hypnosis, correct?"
  Kenney: "I have one week of formal training. That would be true."

3. The Deaths—and Troubling Parallels

• Marcus Freeman: Star football player, high achiever, dies in a car accident after allegedly practicing “self-hypnosis” (11:19–13:01).
  • Witnesses report his eyes rolled back while driving, appearing hypnotized before the crash.
  • Raises debates on whether the hypnosis and resulting dissociation contributed (13:01–13:45).
• Wesley McKinley: Newer student, seeking better grades/social skills, dies by suicide less than a month later (46:56–48:34).
  • Behavior after his session with Kenney is described as robotic, confused.
  • Died in a kneeling position, exactly mirroring the slumped, folded posture seen in hypnosis footage.
• Brittany Palumbo: Another student seeking SAT help, dies by suicide three weeks after Wesley. Her mother was present for her session—Brittany remembered nothing about the posture she was in (59:09–63:03).
  • Both Wesley and Brittany’s deaths lack physical evidence of a struggle, mirroring the physical “blankness” of their hypnotized state.
• Statistical horror (19:18–20:07): “Twenty-nine years of this job and not doing this, no kids died. One year of doing this hypnosis, three kids died.”

4. Ethics, Power, and the Creep Factor

• Serious concerns about consent, oversight, and boundary violations are discussed at length.
• Kenney videotaped over 70 hypnosis sessions (some without parental knowledge), often featuring disturbing amounts of physical contact – students' heads in his lap, hands in their hair (24:18–25:38).
• No mental health intake or medical consultation preceded sessions; no other adult present; records hidden until forced out.
• Many students and parents defended Kenney, blaming the tragedies on other factors, while families of victims faced community backlash.
• Quote (25:07–25:16, Patrick): "He has his hand on their head, and he's, like, rolling their head around in his crotch...running his fingers through their hair. It is fucking disgusting."

5. Victim Families and the Town's Response

• Wesley's parents only learn about their son’s hypnosis sessions after his death, through a self-interested call from Kenney warning them about upcoming press coverage (54:43–55:31).
• Brittany’s mother, present for her session, is deeply unsettled by both the physical suggestibility and memory loss it induced.
• The documentary and hosts note a shocking lack of accountability: Kenney resigns but isn’t immediately investigated or arrested; moral outrage is often directed at the families, not at the principal.
• The community is bitterly divided—some defend Kenney’s intentions to this day.

6. Hypnosis and Suicidality: The Missing Links

• Hosts discuss (and reference expert opinions from the documentary) that while hypnosis cannot “make” someone do something against their will, it can heighten and intensify existing self-destructive thoughts (72:36–73:04).
• The key danger: bypassing a young person’s psychological safeguards.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• "I think this principal should be in prison for the rest of his fucking life. Oh my God, I hate this guy."
  Jillian (10:56)

• "He is either abusing his authority, or, if nothing else came of the story, this guy would still be an insufferable asshole—and a creep."
  Patrick (23:00)

• "Their heads are fully in his lap...not behind his desk, their legs are intertwined...his hand on their head, rolling their head around in his crotch."
  Patrick (24:35–25:07)

• "In 29 years of not doing hypnosis, nobody died. In one year of doing hypnosis, three kids died...Maybe one would be a coincidence. Three in three months—absolutely not."
  Jillian (29:47–30:07)

• "He is an expert at making himself both the hero and the victim."
  Patrick (38:31)

• "If this man was not in these kids' lives, they would still be alive today, in my opinion."
  Jillian (73:12)

Important Timestamps

• 02:43–03:12: Hosts establish they're in North Port, FL, and discuss the local culture
• 09:06–10:19: Introduction of Marcus Freeman; background on hypnosis at the high school
• 11:19–13:01: The car accident and suspicions about self-hypnosis
• 24:19–25:38: First description of disturbing physical contact in Kenney’s hypnosis sessions
• 46:56–48:34: Wesley’s death recounted by his friends and mother
• 59:09–63:03: Brittany’s session described, memory loss highlighted
• 71:02–72:24: Description of how Wesley and Brittany were found; physical posture matches hypnosis state
• 72:36–73:04: Discussion of how hypnosis may intensify suicidal ideation

Structure & Flow Highlights

• Hosts maintain a rapid, bantering tone laced with outrage, gallows humor, and empathy for the victims’ families.
• Repeatedly call out failures of adult oversight and community accountability.
• Directly confront the discomfort and creepiness of the footage shown, especially regarding physical boundaries and emotional manipulation.
• Draw parallels to scandals like Nexium, referencing cult psychology and misuse of power.
• Bring in their own experiences as educators and parents to ground the horror in everyday reality.

Memorable Moments & Cultural Touchstones

• Sass and clairvoyant outrage: At multiple points, Jillian repeatedly insists Kenney “should be in prison forever,” never wavering even before all evidence is laid out.
• "Shut up, Janice": After a school bookkeeper downplays the significance of multiple student deaths, the hosts coin this as a new TCO catchphrase (30:31–30:36).
• Disney World tangents: Moments of comic relief in recounting Disney World mishaps, but always segueing back to the grim seriousness of the subject.
• Pop culture comparisons: Extended metaphors about “party clown” certifications, Heather’s as a lens for the “normalization” of school tragedy, Nexium for culty self-help abuses.

Core Takeaway

The first half of Look Into My Eyes reveals a shocking story of negligence, boundary-violating pseudoscience, and the catastrophic results when school leadership is both unchecked and unaccountable. Jillian and Patrick blend humor, righteous anger, and careful analysis as they call out the real-world consequences of giving a single authority figure dangerous psychological access to teens.

To be continued in Part 2…

Listener note: If suicide or abuse is a concern for you or someone you love, please reach out to appropriate resources. The show makes clear how crucial oversight and mental health support are for vulnerable youth.