A tragic incident unfolded in Central Florida as a mental health counselor, Rebecca White, was brutally stabbed to death by a former client, deputies in Orange County reported. The devastating occurrence transpired on Monday night in an office on Lee Road, with the assailant also critically wounding another individual at the scene. According to details shared in a WESH report, Michael Smith, 39, a previous client of White's, disrupted an ongoing therapy session and was requested to leave by White before he launched the attack.
The situation escalated when White's active client informed Smith that he was calling law enforcement, prompting Smith to draw a weapon and commit the assault. Responders found White with significant injuries, and she later succumbed to them at a hospital, the WFTV report indicated. The second victim, a male in his 30s, is currently hospitalized in critical condition; however, is expected to recover after surgery.
Smith's body was discovered near a Mormon Temple off Windy Ridge Road the following morning, with reports confirming his death by suicide. Friends and colleagues of White are mourning the loss, emphasizing her dedication to her profession. A former office mate, Cherlette McCollough, expressed to WFTV, "This has been devastating for our community as well as therapists and for me personally. Rebecca was an excellent therapist."
With the office building requiring cleaning post the tragedy, there is palpable uncertainty amongst building workers like Steve Kendrick about their return to a place marked by violence, as he shared to WFTV, "You walk in there and you think of the tragedy that happened. I mean, but you got to go in, you got work, you know." Smith, the perpetrator, reportedly had a history of criminal behavior, including a sex offense and kidnapping in Palm Beach County.
