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During hypnosis, an individual appears to enter a sleep-like state. However, their brain becomes more active than usual, with the exception of the precuneus. This region is crucial for self-awareness, which becomes unnecessary when the mind generates imagery excluding the self, a key aspect of hypnosis.
It might seem harmless, right? If hypnosis merely activates our imagination and reduces self-awareness, it shouldn’t strip us of free will or pose any risks. However, a series of bizarre deaths linked to hypnosis tell a different story.
10. The Tragic Death of Ella Salamon
On September 17, 1894, a man known only as “Mr. Neukomm” visited 23-year-old clairvoyant Ella Salamon at her uncle’s residence in Tuzer, Upper Hungary. Neukomm sought medical guidance as his brother was coughing up blood, and doctors were uncertain whether it originated from his stomach or lungs. Salamon consented to be hypnotized by Neukomm in the presence of her parents and uncle.
Under hypnosis, Salamon provided a detailed description of the lungs. When Neukomm inquired if his brother would die, she responded, “Be prepared for the worst.” Shortly after, Salamon collapsed and died under mysterious circumstances.
At the time, her death was attributed to a poorly executed hypnosis by an amateur, with the belief that Salamon’s brain couldn’t handle the strain. The Journal of the American Medical Association noted that Salamon was the first recorded individual to die while hypnotized.
9. The Killing of Thomas Patton
In 1894, Anderson Gray, a wealthy farmer from Sumner County, Kansas, found himself involved in a legal dispute. Thomas Patton, his neighbor, was a key witness in the case. Determined to silence Patton permanently, Gray approached his farmhand, Thomas McDonald, on May 5. Gray falsely claimed that Patton was spreading rumors about McDonald’s wife, sparking a heated confrontation between the two.
Following the altercation, McDonald went home. Gray later returned and seemingly hypnotized McDonald, convincing him that he must kill Patton or face death himself. Despite McDonald’s attempts to resist, Gray’s hypnotic control proved overwhelming.
Under Gray’s influence, McDonald, who had previously been a poor marksman, gained exceptional rifle accuracy. Gray directed McDonald to a specific location in the woods where Patton would be riding. In a trance-like state induced by Gray, McDonald waited for Patton and shot him through the heart.
Both Gray and McDonald were apprehended. Gray was the first to stand trial, found guilty, and sentenced to hang. McDonald, who confessed to firing the shot, was acquitted due to being under Gray’s hypnotic spell.
8. The Tragic Death of Girard Rosenblum
In the autumn of 1952, 21-year-old Girard Rosenblum was pursuing his master’s degree at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. On October 2, his mother discovered him hanging from a basement joist. Authorities quickly classified his death as a suicide.
A month later, Rosenblum’s case was presented to a coroner’s jury. The Rosenblum family’s lawyer provided evidence suggesting his death was not a suicide but rather a tragic accident during an experiment with suspended animation using self-hypnosis. Rosenblum’s mother testified that he had a deep interest in hypnosis, particularly the concept of self-levitation.
The lawyer contended that Rosenblum accidentally hanged himself while attempting to levitate under hypnosis. The coroner’s jury concurred, concluding that he died “as the result of hypnotic research.”
7. The Death of Sharron Tabarn
In September 1993, 24-year-old Sharron Tabarn visited hypnotist Andrew Vincent at a pub in Leyland, Lancashire, England. To bring her out of the trance, Vincent suggested she would feel a 10,000-volt electric shock through her seat. She awoke startled and left the venue.
While heading home, Tabarn mentioned feeling dizzy. Later that night, she choked on her vomit in bed and passed away. Tabarn, a healthy individual just two weeks away from her 25th birthday, had consumed alcohol that evening, but not enough to cause such a fatal reaction. Her death was officially deemed accidental.
Tabarn’s mother held the hypnosis show responsible. Her lawyer claimed that hypnosis might have weakened Tabarn’s gag reflex, leading to her choking. Her mother also noted Tabarn’s intense fear of electrocution, which may have played a role in her death. She advocated for a ban on public hypnosis performances. Although British officials discussed the matter, no action was taken.
6. The Death of Robert Simpson
On the night of November 8, 1909, 35-year-old Robert Simpson attended a performance by hypnotist “Professor” Arthur Everton in Somerville, New Jersey. Simpson, intoxicated at the time, volunteered to be hypnotized. Everton induced a cataleptic state, placing Simpson’s feet on one chair and his head on another to demonstrate to the audience that Simpson was deeply entranced. Everton then stood on Simpson’s stomach to further prove his point.
The issue arose when Everton attempted to wake Simpson. He collapsed and remained unresponsive on the floor. Despite medical attention, Simpson was pronounced dead. An autopsy revealed he had suffered a ruptured aorta, and the doctor suggested Simpson had likely been ill for some time.
Everton was arrested and faced manslaughter charges. To fund his legal defense, he continued conducting hypnosis shows without further issues. It was widely believed Everton would be acquitted, as Simpson’s death was attributed to a preexisting heart condition.
5. The Murder of Jerome Ferreri
On October 26, 1948, 26-year-old Jerome Ferreri brought a young woman to the luxurious Los Angeles home he shared with his wife, Betty Ferreri. Unsurprisingly, Betty was furious and chased both of them out of the house.
Shortly after, Jerome returned and assaulted Betty. Charles Fauci, a tenant in the house, retrieved a gun and gave it to the handyman, Allan Adron, claiming Jerome was killing Betty.
Hearing Betty’s screams, Adron found the couple in a violent struggle in the kitchen. He shot Jerome twice before the gun malfunctioned. Adron then struck Jerome with the gun until Betty grabbed it and attempted to fire. When the gun failed again, she seized a meat cleaver and struck her husband 23 times on the head.
Betty Ferreri, Fauci, and Adron were all arrested. Adron confessed, initially pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, and testified for the prosecution at Betty and Fauci’s trial. However, Betty and Fauci were acquitted after testifying that Jerome was violent and Betty feared for her life.
During Adron’s sentencing hearing, the court was requested to accept a second plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. Defense psychiatrists claimed Adron was not accountable for the murder, as he had been hypnotized into shooting Jerome Ferreri.
The psychiatrists argued that Adron entered a trance-like state through suggestion when handed the gun and hearing Betty’s screams. This allegedly led him to shoot Jerome. Consequently, Adron was acquitted due to insanity at the time of the crime. However, he avoided psychiatric hospitalization, as he was deemed sane after the shooting.
4. The Murder of Augustin Gouffe
On July 26, 1889, in Paris, Augustin Gouffe, a prosperous businessman known for his romantic escapades, encountered Michel Eyraud, an acquaintance. Eyraud mentioned that he had ended his relationship with his girlfriend, Gabrielle Bompard, and that she wished to meet Gouffe.
Excited by the prospect, Gouffe visited Bompard’s apartment. While Gouffe attempted to seduce her, Eyraud placed a noose around Gouffe’s neck and strangled him. After robbing the body, Eyraud and Bompard concealed it in a trunk and abandoned it 500 kilometers (300 mi) from Paris.
Eyraud’s luck ran out when witnesses reported seeing him with Gouffe before his disappearance. Eyraud became a fugitive but managed to escape before authorities could apprehend him.
On January 22, 1890, Bompard surrendered to the police, asserting her innocence in the murder by claiming Eyraud had hypnotized her into compliance. Eyraud was captured in Cuba in May 1890 and extradited to Paris.
The trial of Bompard and Eyraud took place that summer, marking one of the earliest instances where hypnosis was used as a defense. The high-profile case garnered international attention. Ultimately, Bompard was sentenced to 20 years in prison, while Eyraud faced public execution by guillotine on February 4, 1891.
3. The Tragic Deaths of Marcus Freeman, Wesley McKinley, and Brittany Palumbo
During the spring of 2011, North Port High School in North Port, Florida, experienced a series of tragic student deaths within a short period. The first was Marcus Freeman, a 16-year-old quarterback, who lost his life in a car crash on March 15. His girlfriend reported that he suddenly had a strange expression before veering off the road. Next was Wesley McKinley, aged 16, who was discovered hanged outside his home on April 8, 2011. The last victim, Brittany Palumbo, 17, was found hanged in her bedroom closet in May 2011.
Following Wesley’s death, George Kenney, the school principal, informed the police that he had hypnotized these three students among 75 others. He had instructed Marcus on self-hypnosis to enhance his football focus. Kenney had hypnotized Wesley, an aspiring guitarist, to aid his Juilliard School of the Arts application the day before his death. Similarly, Brittany was hypnotized to alleviate her test anxiety, but after five months without academic improvement, she tragically ended her life.
Kenney was placed on administrative leave and subsequently resigned in June 2012. He received a year's probation for unlicensed therapeutic hypnosis. The school board compensated each student's family with $200,000.
2. The Killing of Hans Wisbom and Kaj Moller
On March 29, 1951, in Copenhagen, 33-year-old Palle Wichmann Hardrup entered a bank, brandished a firearm, and demanded cash. After his demands were not met, he fatally shot the bank manager, Hans Wisbom, and the teller, Kaj Moller.
Upon his arrest, Hardrup asserted that he was not responsible for the murders or the attempted robbery, as he had been hypnotized during his time in prison by his 39-year-old cellmate, Bjorn Schouw Nielsen. Nielsen allegedly hypnotized Hardrup three times a week for three months, rehearsing the robbery steps with him.
Hardrup claimed that Nielsen directed him to demand money and, if refused, to shoot the teller and move to the next. He also confessed to a prior robbery, during which he handed all the stolen funds to Nielsen.
Nielsen was apprehended for orchestrating the robberies and coercing Hardrup to shoot the two bank employees. Following their trials, Hardrup was sent to a mental institution, while Nielsen received a life sentence. Both men were freed after serving 18 years.
1. The Tragic Death of Marie Colombos
In 1938, Marie Colombos, a 23-year-old expectant mother, was anxious about conventional childbirth. Intrigued by the idea of hypnosis-assisted delivery, she reached out to Robert Gilbert, also known as 'The Great Gilbert,' a seasoned vaudeville hypnotist. Local newspapers reported that Gilbert had recently aided a woman in achieving a painless birth through hypnosis. On June 30, Gilbert visited Colombos' home in Glendale, California, for a preparatory session.
Eventually, the police were summoned. Upon arrival, they discovered Colombos deceased on the couch, her arms crossed over her chest and a slight smile on her face. Gilbert insisted he had done nothing to harm Colombos, stating she had simply fainted and collapsed. He claimed he had moved her to the couch afterward.
Gilbert was taken into custody, and an autopsy was conducted on Colombos. However, no definitive cause of death was determined. Her body was later exhumed and re-examined, yet the reason for the pregnant woman's demise remained unclear. Gilbert stood trial, arguing that his hypnosis techniques were harmless. Despite his claims, he was convicted and sentenced to two to five years in prison. Ultimately, his conviction was reversed due to insufficient evidence.
