Onlyfans model Courtney Clenney pleads not guilty to killing Nigerian boyfriend Christian Obumseli
Courtney Clenney has entered a plea in the murder case of her late Nigerian boyfriend, Christian “Toby” Obumseli.
The OnlyFans and Instagram model, who professionally goes by Courtney Tailor, pleaded not guilty to one count of second-degree murder with a deadly weapon on August 18, according to online court records reviewed by E! News.
Per the records, Clenney submitted a written plea and her arraignment has been scheduled for August 31, four days after she was denied bond in her first court appearance.
The 26-year-old is accused of fatally stabbing her boyfriend Christian on April 3. According to the Miami-Dade Police Department, officers responded to a domestic violence incident around 5 p.m. local time and found Obumseli, 27, suffering from “an apparent knife wound” upon arrival.
He was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he died of his injury.
Clenney was arrested in Laupāhoehoe, Hawaii, on August 10 in connection to Christian’s murder. However, the model has maintained that she acted in self-defense, with her lawyer Frank Andrew Prieto telling E! News earlier this month that there was “clear evidence” Clenney had been defending herself on the night of the stabbing.
“Obumseli attacked her and choked her that evening; Courtney had no choice but to meet force with force,” Prieto said in a statement issued on Aug. 10.
“There is no doubt the two of them had a tumultuous relationship; moreover, there is evidence that Courtney was a victim of physical, emotional, and mental abuse at the hands of Obumseli.”
Prieto added that Clenney “was seeking treatment for her PTSD and related issues to this case” at the time of her arrest and “it is an absolute injustice to charge a victim of domestic violence and human trafficking with a crime.”
“We will vigorously defend Courtney,” his statement read, “and clear her of this unfounded and baseless charge.”
On the other hand, Obumseli’s family has disputed Clenney’s self-defense claim and contends that he was the victim of domestic violence instead. In a statement shared on Aug. 12, Obumseli’s brother, Jeffrey Obumseli, alleged that he was “unarmed when Clenney brutally stabbed him in the chest from behind.”
“I’d truly give anything in the world to have Toby alive today,” the statement read. “He didn’t deserve this and no one else does.”
Since her arrest, Clenney has since been extradited back to Florida, where she remains in jail.