Who is Rebecca White? Florida therapist, who worked with offenders, killed by former patient

ORLANDO, Fla. - Rebecca White was known as a kind person and excellent therapist. 

White worked as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor at her own therapy practice, Down to Earth Therapy Solutions in Orlando, before she was stabbed and killed by one of her former clients on Jan. 19. 

What we know:

White, 44, was finishing up a session with a client around 9 p.m., Jan. 19 when her former client – identified as Michael Smith, 39 – stopped by the office and demanded to see her. She reportedly asked him to leave before calling 911, the Orange County Sheriff's office said. 

That's when Smith attacked and stabbed White and her patient. The patient – a man in his 30s – was transported to the hospital and is expected to recover, deputies said. 

The man was stabbed over 10 times while trying to protect White, a GoFundMe created by the man's mother alleges. 

White died from her injuries.  

Who is Rebecca White? 

Friends of White described her as someone who was dedicated to her work and community. 

What they're saying:

White's neighbor, Nancy Magenheimer, said she was in shock to learn about White's death. 

"She was so young, and I know she's working with troubled people." 

According to a biography on her website, White was committed to helping people in a non-judgmental space. 

She provided individual therapy, couple therapy and sex therapy services. 

The sheriff's office said Smith was a former client of White's. 

White's former co-worker, Cherlette McCullough, said some of White's patients were offenders. 

"It was a niche she specialized in," McCullough said. "Just today, I got a few calls from people saying how good she was working with offenders around change."

Concerns about security, surveillance

 In a released statement, White's family raised building access and security measure concerns surrounding White's practice. 

White's family released a statement for FOX 35, saying, "We are struggling to understand how this could have happened. There are serious and troubling questions surrounding building access, security measures, surveillance, and how an individual was able to enter the premises during those hours. This tragedy raises concerns about systematic failures that may have contributed to a situation that should never have occurred and, in our view, could have been prevented. Right now, our family is grieving an irreplaceable loss. We are heartbroken, angry, and searching for answers – but above all, we are mourning Rebecca." 

Who is Michael Smith? 

According to Florida records, Michael Smith is a registered sex offender. 

Smith was previously incarcerated for 19 years after he was convicted of kidnapping, burglary and two counts of sexual battery in June 2003 in West Palm Beach. 

During that incident, police said Smith held a knife to a woman's neck, telling her he wanted her money. He then ordered her to disable her security alarm and go into her home, an arrest affidavit said. Smith then bound the woman's wrists and ankles with zip-ties, put packaging tape around her face and then raped her for 20 minutes. 

The woman was able to lock Smith out of her room and escaped to the neighbor's home. The woman told investigators she thought the intruder was the son of a woman who lived in the area. 

Smith's DNA matched the evidence obtained from the victim's body. 

The conditions of his parole mandate that he have "psychological or psychiatric evaluation geared towards someone who has committed a violent and vicious sexual battery and who has a violent anti-social personality disorder."

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said Smith just moved to Orlando in October.

FOX 35's Marie Edinger went to Smith’s home. His roommate declined to interview.

Neighbors told Edinger police officers there Tuesday, but didn’t know what for. They saw video of police going through the neighborhood, captured by their doorbell cameras.

When Orange County deputies responded to the area of 9000 block of Windy Ridge Road around 7:45 a.m., on Jan. 20, following White's death, deputies found Smith dead by apparent suicide, the sheriff's office said. 

Crime and Public Safety