The defense attorney for the OnlyFans model Courtney Clenney asked a judge to limit what evidence is released to the public in her second-degree murder case.
Clenney is accused of stabbing 27-year-old Christian Obumseli to death inside their Miami apartment back in April. Clenney, who goes by Courtney Tailor on social media, remained free until her arrest last week. She is behind bars at the Hawaii Community Correctional Center, awaiting transport to Florida.
Attorney Frank Prieto railed against Miami State Attorney Kathie Fernandez Rundle for releasing footage of Clenney beating Obumseli in an elevator during a press conference announcing the charges. He called the footage, which was taken more than a month before Obumseli’s death, “an attempt by the government to prejudice and taint potential jury members against the defendant.”
Prieto claims this will prevent his client from receiving a fair trial. He maintains that Clenney was acting in self-defense after being strangled by Obumseli. In the motion, Prieto asked that the judge bans prosecutors from releasing any evidence to the public without the court’s permission.
Florida prosecutors objected to the motion on Friday. The assistant state attorney blames the defense for giving the case media attention.
“Mr. Obumseli was dead for five days, and the defense was making statements to the media both in print and on television and local news.”
The Miami Police Department initially cleared Clenney after she claimed self-defense. Obumseli’s family was outraged over the decision and hired attorney Larry Handfield. Rundle was pressured into investigating, resulting in Clenney’s murder charge.
The social media star was on the phone with her mother when she stabbed Obumseli with a kitchen knife. Following the killing, pictures of Clenney, wearing a black bra and covered in blood while handcuffed on the balcony, went viral.
It’s still unknown what started the argument between them, but Clenney and Obumseli had a history of fights during their two-year relationship. Clenney was arrested in July 2020 for throwing a glass at Obumseli’s head in Las Vegas.
The killing sparked public outrage after Clenney remained free. She was photographed drinking with her father at a hotel bar just days after the alleged murder. Jeff Obsumseli, the victim’s brother, wrote on Instagram that she was “treated differently because of her privilege as a wealthy white woman.”
