Instagram model Courtney Clenney arrested in Hawaii on Miami murder charge

Author: CBS Miami Staff
Published:
This photo provided by the Hawaii Police Department shows Courtney Clenney. / AP

Law enforcement in Hawaii on Wednesday arrested social media model Courtney Clenney on a charge of second-degree murder with a deadly weapon. The charge stems from the April 3 death of her boyfriend, Christian Toby Obumseli, in Miami.

Hawaii County police said in a statement they assisted the U.S. Marshals Service as they arrested the 26-year-old in Laupahoehoe, which is on the Big Island. Officers used an arrest warrant issued by Miami-Dade County, Florida.

She’s being held at the East Hawaii Detention Center while she waits for her initial court appearance in Hilo District Court on Thursday, police said.

The police statement gave no details about the accusations against her, but CBS Miami reported that Clenney is accused of fatally stabbing her boyfriend in April.

Clenney uses the name Courtney Tailor on Instagram and OnlyFans, where she has more than 2 million followers.

Her Miami defense lawyer, Frank Prieto, told CBS Miami that she was in Hawaii while in rehabilitation for substance abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder.

“I’m completely shocked, especially since we were cooperating with the investigation and offered to voluntarily surrender her if she were charged,” Prieto said. “We look forward to clearing her name in court.”

Prieto said Clenney kicked Obumseli out of the apartment she was renting in Edgewater a week prior to his death because of domestic abuse allegations.

These allegations Clenney made against Obumseli, her lawyer said, led to his death.

Miami police said they were called to the condo to investigate a domestic violence call. There they found Obumseli suffering from a knife wound. He died while being transported to a hospital.

Prieto said the two were together for about two years and their relationship was complicated.

Christian Toby Obumseli
FACEBOOK/CHRISTIAN TOBY OBUMSELI

“It was clearly a toxic relationship, (they) had their ups and downs and, unfortunately, it culminated with his death,” he said.

Prieto said Clenney was actively seeking professional help to process the trauma experienced on the night of the stabbing.

Obumseli’s family said that he was a soft-spoken man and the idea that this was warranted is unthinkable, CBS Miami reported.

“We have no cause to believe that this was a case of self-defense. Toby was raised by a very strong family with strong morals, strong values; he does not come from that,” said Karen Egbuna, a cousin of Obumseli.

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