An Orange County therapist was stabbed to death at her office Monday by a former patient later found dead in an apparent suicide, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded around 9 p.m. to the office of mental health counselor Rebecca White, 44, on the 900 block of Lee Road, just west of Winter Park, where they found White and another man suffering from stab wounds.
White and the man were taken to a hospital, where White died of her injuries. The man, whose name was not released, underwent surgery and is expected to recover, deputies said.
Deputies identified the suspect as 39-year-old Michael Smith, a former client of White’s.
The man said he was a patient of White’s and had been attending a therapy session with her that ended at 9 p.m. Following the session, Smith entered White’s office and demanded to speak with her, but she told him to leave. When the other man told Smith he was calling 911, the suspect drew a knife and attacked them both, according to the release.
Smith was found dead from apparent suicide around 7:45 a.m. Tuesday at the 9000 block of Windy Ridge Road by deputies responding to a call of a man down.
No other information was included in the release.
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