Thursday, December 18, 2025, a Miami judge made a dramatic ruling in one of America’s most controversial domestic violence cases: Courtney Clenney, a 29-year-old former OnlyFans model who once earned $1.8 million annually, remains locked up without bond more than 3 years after her boyfriend’s fatal stabbing.
The case explodes with contradiction, plus allegations of misconduct and destroyed evidence. With a trial now scheduled for spring next year, the timeline matters first.
Millions Earned, Now Sitting In Jail
Courtney Clenney generated nearly $3 million through OnlyFans between 2020 and 2022, including $966,692 in 2020 and $1,806,003 in 2021. She had 2 million Instagram followers and lived in a Miami penthouse.
Now jailed without bond, she’s accused of murdering Christian Obumseli on April 3, 2022, after over 1,300 days waiting. The relationship history became central.
A Relationship Marked By Escalating Chaos
Clenney met cryptocurrency investor Christian Obumseli, 27, in November 2020. Prosecutors later called their relationship “tempestuous and combative.” By early 2022, police were repeatedly called to their building.
Surveillance captured Clenney attacking him, and audio included racial slurs and threats. His family says he was gentle; the defense says he abused her. A key plea came days before.
The Restraining Order Request Before The Stabbing
As fights intensified, Clenney sought police help and begged for a restraining order 2 days before the fatal stabbing. The defense points to this as proof she feared Obumseli.
Prosecutors highlight other evidence suggesting she was the aggressor, framing the request as part of a volatile cycle instead of a clear warning. Would April 3, 2022, confirm either of these stories?
A 911 Call Inside A $10,000 Condo
On April 3, 2022, at 4:57 p.m., Clenney called 911 from their $10,000-per-month condo at One Paraiso in Miami. Obumseli was dying from a chest stab wound.
He was pronounced dead after a blade severed his subclavian artery, penetrating 3 inches. Police initially treated it as self-defense, but the family pushed for charges. Pressure mounted quickly.
Four Months Later, The Case Turned
Obumseli’s family hired attorney Larry Handfield to investigate and demand accountability. The scrutiny helped shift the case from an initial self-defense view to a murder prosecution.
Clenney remained free for months, then faced mounting legal risk as investigators revisited the medical evidence and the couple’s history. By August 2022, the next headline came fast.
Arrested In Hawaii, Charged With Life Felony
In August 2022, federal marshals arrested Clenney in Hawaii after she entered a rehab facility for post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse. She was charged with 2nd-degree murder with a deadly weapon, carrying life imprisonment.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle called the death “the culmination of a tempestuous and combative relationship.” Defense attorney Frank Prieto said it was self-defense. The knife story became pivotal.
Forensics Challenged A Key Self-Defense Detail
Medical examiners testified the 3-inch wound “could not have been caused by a knife thrown from 10 feet away,” as Clenney claimed. They said it required a “forceful downward thrust” and close contact.
Prosecutors argued this meant she stabbed him, not threw the knife, undermining self-defense. The defense didn’t concede, staging counter-demonstrations that complicated certainty. The courtroom soon felt like a lab.
The Pig Carcass Demo That Split Opinions
To rebut the state’s theory, the defense hired expert knife-thrower Bobby Branson and commissioned demonstrations using a pig carcass hung against a wall. They argued that thrown knives could penetrate deeply and cause similar wounds.
Prosecutors treated it as a theatrical distraction from medical conclusions about angle, force, and distance. The judge had to weigh conflicting expertise while the larger record continued to grow. Then a legal bombshell hit the prosecution.
Court Finds Privileged Messages Were Accessed
In June 2024, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Laura Shearon Cruz ruled prosecutors violated attorney-client privilege by accessing 4,000+ messages between Clenney’s attorneys and her family, including “Courtney Checklist of Things to Do—Privileged.docx,” per court records dated June 26, 2024.
Lead prosecutor Khalil Quinan reviewed and shared privileged materials. The ruling forced the withdrawal of charges against Clenney’s parents, raising questions about taint. How far did the fallout extend?
Parents Arrested, Then Charges Collapse
Kim and Deborah Clenney were arrested in January 2024, accused of unauthorized computer access for allegedly hacking Obumseli’s laptop and deleting evidence. Prosecutors framed it as interference.
However, after the ruling on the privilege violation, those charges were dropped in July 2024. The parents said the laptop was “shared” and police were “bullying” them for supporting their daughter. Their testimony added another layer to the money questions.
$1,184,000 Transfers Raised Flight Risk Alarms
Prosecutors said 9 days after Obumseli’s death, Clenney transferred $1,184,000 to her father in 3 wire transfers, claiming it showed concealment and plans to flee. Khalil Quinan wrote, “the only possible inference for the Defendant’s behavior is the obvious: an attempt to relocate and conceal her assets,” according to October 2022 filings.
Kim Clenney said it funded rehab, house equity, and legal fees. The judge still saw risk, but another discovery fueled the defense’s anger.
A Neighbor Witness The Jury Might Never Hear
The defense later learned a neighbor, Arthur Cup, told police on April 3, 2022, he witnessed Obumseli “wailing” Courtney Clenney in the days before the stabbing. The defense called it exculpatory.
They said prosecutors failed to disclose it, a Brady violation, preventing them from building the abuse narrative earlier and limiting witness options. Why would such a statement disappear from disclosure? Then came claims of outright evidence destruction.
Photos Allegedly Deleted Before Police Arrived
Building employee Danny Del Valle reportedly recorded photos and video of the scene moments after Clenney’s 911 call, before police and EMS arrived. The defense argues that this footage could reveal her demeanor, early statements, and the scene’s original condition.
They allege a police officer ordered Del Valle to delete the material, calling it a Youngblood violation for failing to preserve favorable evidence. With missing media, the timeline became even more important.
New Expert Timeline Shrinks The Window Dramatically
A forensic expert from the related wrongful death civil case concluded the fatal wound likely occurred within 1 minute of Clenney’s 911 call, not 12 to 14 minutes as prosecutors claimed at earlier bond hearings.
Defense attorney Frank Prieto said the analysis “eviscerated” the state’s theory that she let Obumseli “bleed out” with indifference. If timing shifts, does intent shift too? The judge still refused release.
Bond Denied Again After 3 Years In Custody
Clenney sought bond in December 2022 and was denied. She tried again in October 2024, backed by the knife-throwing pig carcass experiments, and was denied again. On December 18, 2025, she filed a third motion, adding the new timing evidence and destroyed photo allegations.
Circuit Judge Andrea Ricker Wolfson denied release: “Your financial resources and potential life sentence provide sufficient motivation for flight,” per court records. The trial date finally sharpened focus.
April 27, 2026 Becomes The Fixed Target
Trial is set for April 27, 2026, more than 4 years after the stabbing. Prosecutors expect the testimony to last less than 2 weeks. By then, Clenney will have spent over 3 years in jail without a verdict.
Both sides claim the delay reflects complexity, but the defense frames it as compounded by misconduct and the absence of evidence. With a trial looming, the strategy turned to domestic violence science. Could expert testimony reshape how jurors see her actions?
Battered Partner Syndrome Takes Center Stage
Clenney’s team plans to invoke battered spouse syndrome, also called battered partner syndrome, arguing she reasonably feared imminent death or serious harm on April 3, 2022. They retained Dr. Lenore Walker to testify about intimate partner abuse and psychological effects.
The defense claims months of choking, being thrown down, and gaslighting explain the stabbing as survival, whether the knife was thrown or wielded. Prosecutors reject that framing and point to harsh audio as evidence of character.
The Recording That Prosecutors Say Reveals Intent
Prosecutors cite audio where Obumseli recorded Clenney using racial slurs, screaming, and saying, “I’m literally f–king want to kill you, but you don’t take me seriously,” according to evidence in the record. They argue it shows she was the volatile aggressor.
The defense argues that isolated clips lack context and follow abuse, and questions their admissibility under Florida recording rules. If the audio is included, could it undermine the self-defense claim? Defense then argued the whole office was compromised.
Motions Claim A System Too Tainted To Try Her
By March 2025, Clenney’s attorneys asked courts to disqualify the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s office, citing a pattern of misconduct tied to the privilege breach and arguing continued involvement created “an appearance of impropriety that cannot be overlooked,” per filings.
They noted complaints about a “toxic culture” and “win at all cost” attitude. Judges rejected the request, keeping prosecutors in place. That left jurors to interpret Florida’s self-defense rules under intense scrutiny.
Florida Self-Defense Rules Set A Tight Standard
Under Florida Statute § 776.012(2), deadly force is justified if someone “reasonably believes it is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm.” The belief must be objectively reasonable. If the defendant was the initial aggressor or provoked the confrontation, self-defense can fail.
Prosecutors focus on proving Clenney initiated violence, while the defense highlights fear and her restraining order request. The setting itself adds irony: a building designed for security still saw tragedy.
Luxury Living, Then A Death Behind Closed Doors
One Paraiso, the 53-story high-rise where Obumseli died, has controlled access, attended security, and heavy surveillance. Their 3-bedroom, 3.5-bath unit rented for $10,000 per month, offering bay views and resort amenities. Staff called police multiple times for disturbances, and February 2022 footage captured an elevator fight.
Yet Obumseli still died inside their bedroom, showing that surveillance cannot prevent intimate partner violence. Public fascination also surged because her wealth came from a platform that vanished overnight.
OnlyFans Wealth, Then Sudden Financial Freefall
Clenney’s earnings, including $1.8 million annually, highlighted how digital creator money can be extraordinary and fragile. After her August 2022 arrest, OnlyFans terminated her account and refused reinstatement, according to her father’s testimony.
Her defense says she is now broke with about $11,000 in liquid assets, while prosecutors dispute her financial picture and cite earlier transfers as proof of resources and flight risk. With money and race both debated, courtroom perceptions became unavoidable. Would jurors see equal justice at work?
Sources
New Trial Date But No Bond For OnlyFans Model Courtney Clenney. Court TV, December 18, 2025
OnlyFans Model Courtney Clenney Denied Bond. FOX 7 Austin, December 18, 2025
Opinion on Prosecutorial Misconduct and Attorney-Client Privilege Violation. Miami-Dade Circuit Court, June 26, 2024
Motion for Pre-Trial Detention and Opposition to Bond. Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, October 2022
Autopsy Report and Wound Analysis. Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office, April 2022