MIAMI (Court TV) — Attorneys representing OnlyFans model Courtney Clenney will return to court this month as they seek to present evidence of alleged abuse and criminal acts by man she is accused of murdering.
Courtney Clenney appeared for a pretrial hearing on Oct. 15, 2025. (Court TV)
Clenney, 30, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of her boyfriend, Christian Obumseli, 27, who was stabbed in the couple’s apartment on April 3, 2022.
Clenney has never denied being responsible for the injuries that killed Obumseli, but she has argued through her attorneys that she was the victim of ongoing domestic abuse and was acting in self-defense on the day of the incident. While prosecutors have accused Clenney of intentionally stabbing Obumseli, Clenney maintains that she threw the knife that hit him in the chest.
With her trial scheduled to begin next month, Clenney’s attorneys have filed two motions seeking to focus on Obumseli’s alleged bad acts. One motion seeks permission to rebut any evidence the prosecution may present portraying the alleged victim as having a “peaceful character.” To that end, attached to the motion is a copy of an arrest warrant for Obumseli, dated Nov. 2, 2020, on charges of cruelty to nonlivestock animals — a class A misdemeanor in Austin, Texas, where the warrant was issued.
Clenney’s defense said the warrant stemmed from an incident in which Obumseli abandoned his dog, Halo, at an apartment. Building staff discovered the animal five to seven days after its death; the dog had been locked in a kennel in a closet. While food was present, there was no water. A veterinary pathologist determined the dog’s cause of death was dehydration secondary to water deprivation.
“When interviewed, Obumseli provided vague, confusing, and conflicting accounts regarding his travel to and from Dallas and the events surrounding the dog’s death,” Clenney’s lawyers wrote in the motion. “Investigators described his explanation as vague; further, responding officers described his account as confusing and conflicting and that Obumseli appeared to be more concerned about the police investigation as opposed to the death of ‘Halo.'”
Courtney Clenney’s defense cited a 2020 warrant for Christian Obumseli on charges of animal cruelty. (Defense filing)
A second motion filed by Clenney’s defense seeks to admit specific instances of alleged abuse during the couple’s relationship. When first responders came to the house after Obumseli was stabbed, Clenney told officers that “she acted in self-defense and that she threw the knife because she was scared,” her defense said. “During her subsequent recorded interview, Courtney explained that Obumseli pinned her against the wall by her neck, causing her to be unable to breathe, and ultimately forced her to the ground where he continued restraining her with his hands around her neck. Courtney further advised detectives that this was the third time Obumseli had pinned her by the neck and that similar incidents had occurred twice before.”
The motion states that Clenney intends to testify at her trial “regarding numerous specific instances of violent and abusive conduct.” Clenney’s defense said medical records and text messages will corroborate her account, which includes four shoulder dislocations and a cut to her finger that required stitches.
While prosecutors have not yet filed any response to the defense motions, Obumseli’s family has previously joined the state in portraying Clenney as the aggressor in the couple’s volatile relationship. In 2023, Obumseli’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Clenney and several parties connected to the apartment the couple shared.
At a status hearing on Thursday, prosecutors and Clenney’s defense said they would need multiple days to address all pending motions. Judge Andrea Wolfson scheduled a two-day hearing on the issues to begin on July 30.
