Lawyers for Only Fans model Courtney Clenney claim they’ve unearthed evidence that supports her statements that she acted in self-defense when she stabbed her boyfriend, Christian “Tobi” Obumseli, during an argument at their condo in April 2022.
Clenney, 26, faces a second-degree murder charge in Miami-Dade County, Florida, for Obumseli’s death. During the confrontation, Obumseli was stabbed in the chest with a knife in a downward motion causing a fatal injury when the blade struck an artery in his chest, according to court documents.
Prosecutors said Clenney gave inconsistent statements about the stabbing, including allegedly stating, “I really don’t know if this was justified at all.”
Both sides agree that the relationship between Clenney and Obumseli was toxic and tumultuous. But that is where the alignment between the parties ends. Prosecutors say Clenney was the aggressor and Obumseli was the victim of domestic violence. Clenney’s attorneys say she was an abused woman.
“I think that the fact that the detective in this matter did not arrest her for four months while they investigated the case. It’s very telling,” attorney Frank Prieto, who represents Clenney along with Sabrina Puglisi, said in an interview with Law&Crime.
When announcing the charges against Clenney, the Miami-Dade County State Attorney’s Office released a video of Clenney and Obumseli in an elevator at their condo complex that was recorded months before Obumseli’s death. It shows the pair in the elevator and Clenney striking Obumseli.
“What the media has portrayed is a snapshot in time,” Puglisi said. “If you actually look at the first few seconds of that video, which is cut off in most news media cycles…what you see is actually she does not want him to come into the elevator to go upstairs. There is only one key Fob in order to be able to get up into this apartment.”
Courtney Clenney appeared in court on Nov. 15, 2022. (Image via the Law&Crime YouTube channel.)
Puglisi and Prieto say there are three instances they plan to use at trial that they claim show Clenney was the victim of abuse.
“The first is in Las Vegas in 2021 where she actually called security and the interview of the security officer by police. And you can see it in the body camera of the police officer, he says he overheard her saying get your hands off me, and when they got up to the room clumps of her hair were on the ground,” said Puglisi.
Obumseli’s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Clenney. The family is also suing the homeowner’s association, the company that manages the apartment complex and the security company for negligence. Clenney’s attorneys call the suit a “money grab.”
Last week, Obumseli’s cousin and attorneys held a press conference in which they said there were six disturbance calls related to Obumseli and Clenney placed between January and March 2022. Attorneys for Obumseli’s family said tenants and others called 911 to report violence and threats and that Clenney was the one at fault.
“The forensic evidence is clear that Christian was not an aggressor in any way and that there’s one aggressor in this case,” said Michael Haggard, who represents Obumseli’s family.
Christian “Tobi” Obumseli seen here at the Dallas Cowboys practice facility. (Photo provided by attorneys for family)
Obumseli’s family said they’ve suffered an unimaginable loss.
“We’ve lost so much just beyond Toby. My aunt has never been the same. She is marked with a sadness and anger and grief that will likely never go away,” said Karen Egbuna, Obumseli’s cousin.
Prieto said the civil suit will likely not move forward until the criminal case has concluded. He said there’s no doubt both Clenney and Obumseli acted inappropriately during the relationship.
A status conference is set for July but a trial date for Clenney has yet to be set. She remains behind bars without bail awaiting trial.
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