Police Video Shows Social Media Influencer Plea For Restraining Order Days Before Boyfriend Killed
A video released by the Florida state attorney's office Wednesday showed social media influencer Courtney Clenney asking authorities for a restraining order just two days before the fatal stabbing of her boyfriend Christian "Toby" Obumseli.
Clenney, 26, had told Miami-Dade County authorities that she acted in self-defense when she allegedly stabbed Obumseli, 27, on April 3 during a heated argument inside their luxury apartment.
Clenney has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder with a deadly weapon. The Miami-Dade state attorney's office said Clenney was the aggressor and had a history of attacking Obumseli that included a video from an elevator that showed her attacking Obumseli weeks before the killing.
The body camera footage released by Miami police showed her pleading with police to issue a restraining order because Obumseli was "stalking her" and "sleeping outside the elevator of her apartment."
Clenney appears disheveled in the video.
"I want a restraining order against Christian Obumseli," she tells police.
She asks officers if she can be the first to issue the restraining order because she thinks Obumseli will issue one before her.
Clenney appears to be in tears as she asks officers to help her avoid getting "kicked out of my own apartment." She also said she is "scared."
Also in the video is a doorman for the apartment building who recounted to officers that "her boyfriend comes charging towards her" in the lobby. He told police that the management of the building had been told of multiple incidents involving the couple.
The murder case has gained international attention due to Clenney's online popularity. She has over 2 million followers on Instagram and a large audience on the paid subscription-only site OnlyFans, where she reportedly posted nude images of herself.
She is accused of stabbing Obumseli in the subclavian artery with a kitchen knife. She told police that she threw the knife over 10 feet while on the phone with her mother. However, the Miami medical examiner testified that forensic evidence did not support her claim, saying the injury was more consistent with a "downward strike" due to a three-inch deep stab wound to the chest.
During the 911 call on April 3, Obumseli repeatedly said he could not feel his arm. The warrant also said the amount of blood at the crime scene showed "evidence the victim was bleeding for an extended period of time before the police arrived."
Obumseli and Clenney reportedly had a turbulent two-year relationship while they lived in Austin, Texas, as well as Las Vegas, and Miami. Clenney was arrested on suspicion of domestic battery in Las Vegas after throwing a glass at him at the Cosmopolitan Hotel.
According to the Miami Herald, building administrators were pursuing legal action to evict the couple. The Miami Police Department never arrested Obumseli on the four separate occasions they were called to the building for domestic disputes.
Obumseli's family recently appeared on Dr. Phil, claiming he was subject to routine domestic abuse inflicted by Clenney.
The newly released body cam footage is another example of the massive amount of evidence, including thousands of photos, audio, content, and 12,000 text messages between the couple the State Attorney's Office has to prosecute their case.
In August, Clenney was arrested in Hawaii at a rehab where she received substance abuse treatment and PTSD. According to Miami-Dade County court docket, her trial is scheduled December 19, 2022.
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