Travis McBride: Florida therapist arrested for allegedly gunning down unhoused man and stuffing body in trunk

Travis McBride: Florida therapist arrested for allegedly gunning down unhoused man and stuffing body in trunk
Travis McBride is the owner of Deland's Starting Point Mental Health (Volusia County Sheriff’s Office)

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

DeLAND, FLORIDA: A 51-year-old man's body was discovered crammed into the trunk of the 46-year-old Florida therapist's vehicle, leading to his alleged murder.

According to court documents, Travis McBride is accused of shooting Clinton "Clint" Dorsey dead in front of several witnesses who claimed to have seen the body in the woods.

Travis McBride charged with first-degree premeditated murder

On Thursday, McBride, a therapist with expertise in PTSD and anger management, was placed under arrest and charged with one count of first-degree premeditated murder. 

McBride and Dorsey "were known to each other and had an ongoing dispute," according to a police news release.

A probable cause affidavit states that at 7:05 a.m. on Thursday, officers from the Deland Police Department responded to several calls regarding a murder at a residence located at 624 East Howry Avenue, Law&Crime reported.

According to the record, the first caller informed, "There’s been a murder that happened. Person is lookin’ in the road cleaning up blood off the ground and searching for the shells,” the caller remarked.

“Older white guy named Travis, he’s the one who killed a dude named Clint. Took the body with him — drug the body across the road, put it in the car, and left.”

A little while later, the dispatcher received a call from a woman known in the affidavit as "W1," who stated that "the person who committed the murder is standing at the door of 624 E Howry Ave."

The woman asked for police to be sent to the address in a whisper before cutting the call abruptly.

First responders found W1, who informed them that McBride had arrived at her house at around seven or eight the night before in search of Dorsey, a well-known homeless man who "lived in the woods across the street from her house."

McBride supposedly informed the woman that Dorsey had damaged his dogs in some way.

“W1 stated that she saw (McBride) with a gun in his hand shooting, (Dorsey). W1 said she heard approximately eight to nine shots being fired. W1 stated she heard the gunshots and then saw the light on the gun. W1 noted that (McBride) was pointing the gun down at the body,” the affidavit states.

“W1 stated she saw (McBride) drag the body across the street toward a wooded area. W1 said she did not observe any other person(s) drag the body into the woods across the street in the area when (McBride) shot (Dorsey)."

It further stated, "W1 noted that she was 100% sure that (McBride) shot (Dorsey). W1 stated she feared (McBride) because he was aggressive with his gun.”

Clinton Dorsey's body was found in Travis McBride's car

Police recovered several spent shell casings and noticed that the street was wet in one area that looked like it had been recently hosed down.

Bloody clothes, 9 mm spent shell casings resembling those discovered outside McBride's house, and what looked to be a blood-soaked towel from a locked dumpster behind a nearby car wash were discovered by police following a tip.

In a nearby parking lot near the car wash, McBride's red Nissan hatchback was discovered. 

When McBride's car's trunk was opened, police were able to see "what appeared to be a body." According to the affidavit, when the officer opened the car's trunk, he discovered a man inside who was "obviously deceased."

This man was later identified as Dorsey. McBride was taken into custody, and the moment he asked to speak with an attorney, the police interview came to an end. He didn't enter a plea when he appeared in court on Friday.

McBride is the proprietor of Deland's Starting Point Mental Health and a licensed therapist. On the practice website, his "areas of expertise" are depression, anxiety disorders, PTSD, anger management, and sleep issues.

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