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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 controversial connection to a violent crime. It covers the case of Connor Hilton, a teenager who shot two friends, killing one, while reportedly on isotretinoin. The episode features insights from Dr. Doug Brenner of Emory University, who has studied the drug's psychological effects.

Connor Hilton's defense attorney claimed that isotretinoin influenced his actions, despite no precedent for such a defense. Dr. Brenner explains that isotretinoin can lead to depression and psychosis, with warning labels indicating potential psychological effects.

The episode highlights the reactions of the victims' families and prosecutors, who viewed the defense as a desperate attempt to rationalize Hilton's actions. JG Pharma, the drug's distributor, did not respond to inquiries regarding the case.

TLDR

The episode examines isotretinoin's link to a teen's violent crime defense.

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
    Connor Hilton's defense claimed his acne drug led to his violent actions.
    “His acne drug made him do it.”
    @ 00m 28s
    February 07, 2026
  • Expert Testimony
    Dr. Doug Brenner testified about the psychological effects of Isot Retino.
    “Retino can cause depression and psychosis.”
    @ 00m 47s
    February 07, 2026

Episode Quotes

  • His acne drug made him do it.
    Popular acne drug at center of teen's murder defense #shorts
  • Retino can cause depression and psychosis.
    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

  • Teen Violence00:13
  • Expert Testimony00:37
  • Victim Families React01:08