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Popular acne drug at center of teen's murder defense #shorts

February 07, 2026 / 01:26

This episode discusses the drug isotretinoin, commonly known as Accutane, and its alleged link to violent behavior. It covers the case of Connor Hilton, a teenager who shot two friends, killing one, while on the medication. The defense attorney claimed the drug influenced his actions, citing expert testimony from Dr. Doug Brenner of Emory University.

Dr. Brenner has studied isotretinoin and testified about its potential psychological effects, including depression and psychosis. He argued that the drug caused Connor to experience homicidal thoughts and a medication-induced psychotic disorder. This defense raised concerns among the victims' families and prosecutors, who viewed it as an attempt to excuse Connor's actions.

The episode also touches on the lack of precedent for using isotretinoin as a defense in violent crime cases. JG Pharma, the drug's distributor, did not respond to requests for comment regarding the case.

TLDR

The episode examines isotretinoin's link to violence through Connor Hilton's case, raising questions about drug influence on behavior.

Episode

1:26
00:00:00
Have you heard of the drug isot retinoid? Maybe not, but you probably have heard of one of its brand names,
00:00:06
Accutane. It's a drug that's commonly used to treat acne. And as a mom of teenagers, I know several kids who were
00:00:11
treated with this drug successfully. In 2023, a teenager named Connor Hilton who
00:00:17
was on Isot Retino, shot two of his friends, killing one of them and gravely injuring the other. His defense attorney
00:00:25
said essentially his acne drug made him do it. And they built their whole case around this defense, even though they
00:00:32
were unaware of any other case where the acne drug defense had worked. They found
00:00:37
Dr. Doug Brenner from Emory University, who says he studied Isot Retino for years, and he's testified about it as a
00:00:44
paid expert. Breer says retino can cause depression and psychosis. In fact, there
00:00:50
are warning labels on this drug about psychological effects. In Connor's case, Dr. Brener says the drug caused
00:00:57
homicidal thoughts and he says Connor was suffering from a medication psychotic disorder. Now to the families
00:01:05
of victims and to the prosecutors this seemed like a desperate attempt to explain the monstrous thing that Connor
00:01:13
Hilton had done. JG Pharma, the distributor of the drug that Connor Hilton was taking, did not respond to
00:01:18
our request for comment.

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Episode Highlights

  • The Isot Retino Defense
    In a shocking case, Connor Hilton's defense claims his acne medication led to violence.
    “His acne drug made him do it.”
    @ 00m 25s
    February 07, 2026
  • Expert Testimony
    Dr. Doug Brenner testifies that Isot Retino can cause severe psychological effects.
    “The drug caused homicidal thoughts.”
    @ 00m 55s
    February 07, 2026

Episode Quotes

  • His acne drug made him do it.
    Popular acne drug at center of teen's murder defense #shorts
  • The drug caused homicidal thoughts.
    Popular acne drug at center of teen's murder defense #shorts
  • A desperate attempt to explain the monstrous thing.
    Popular acne drug at center of teen's murder defense #shorts

Key Moments

  • Tragic Incident00:13
  • Expert Testimony00:37
  • Desperate Defense01:08