Former client fatally attacks therapist, 44, in office before suicide

A Florida therapist was tragically killed at her workplace by her former client, who then escaped and took his own life.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office reported that Rebecca White, 44, had just wrapped up a session with another client around 9pm local time on Monday (January 19), when Michael Smith, 39, arrived at her Orlando office insisting on speaking with her, according to WESH, Florida Today, and FOX 35 Orlando.

Deputies indicated that Smith then started to repeatedly stab both White and her client, a man in his 30s. The client managed to call 911, prompting Smith to leave the scene.

Both White and her client were found with stab injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital. 

The therapist later succumbed to her injuries, while the client, whose name remains confidential, is anticipated to recover.

The client’s mother shared on GoFundMe that he will bear a "scar on his face and other parts of his body, along with potential nerve damage from being stabbed in the hand."

Smith's body was located approximately 14 miles from the office the following morning around 8am Officers informed the outlets that it is assumed he died by suicide.

The authorities have yet to disclose what prompted Smith to confront White.

Files accessed by FOX 35 revealed that Smith was a registered sex offender who was freed from prison in 2022. 

His parole required him to undergo "psychological or psychiatric evaluation aimed at someone who has committed a brutal sexual battery and who possesses a violent anti-social personality disorder."

As per her website, White worked as a licensed mental health counselor at her own therapy firm, Down to Earth Therapy Solutions. 

Her family has since expressed concerns about the access to her office building and the security measures there.