MIAMI – The relatives of a 27-year-old fatal stabbing victim who was a Texas Tech University grad and a cryptocurrency executive are seeking justice in civil court.
Courtney Clenney, a former OnlyFans model known as Courtney Tailor, admitted to fatally stabbing her live-in boyfriend Christian “Toby” Obumseli on April 3, 2022, in Miami, according to police.
“This case has really brought up the dynamics and biases we have with domestic violence especially when a woman is the aggressor,” Obumseli’s cousin Karen Egbuna said in Coral Gables.
During a news conference at his office in Coral Gables, Attorney Michael Haggards said the family wants to hold One Paraíso Condo, the condo’s management company, and Allied Universal Security accountable.
“This was a murder that the civil defendants knew was going to happen,” Haggard said later adding that “Had the defendants done anything, had they had her evicted, thrown out, been more aggressive with the police, or made any actions, this never occurs.”
The lawsuit also claims Clenney exhibited a pattern of behavior. Haggard pointed to six police calls and a surveillance video recorded inside the condominium’s elevator as evidence of Clenney’s violence. He said there is also a record of calls by the management, the security company, and several tenants.
Obumseli’s relatives are seeking over $50,000 in damages.
- Related archive story (Oct. 19): Listen to 911 calls related to Clenney
Meanwhile, in the criminal case, Clenney, 27, had a status hearing in court on Tuesday morning in Miami-Dade County. Circuit Judge Laura Cruz presided at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building.
Clenney has been at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center since Aug. 26, 2022, without bond on a second-degree murder charge, according to county jail records.
Both the defense and the prosecution agree the stabbing in the apartment they had shared in Miami’s Edgewater neighborhood was a case of domestic violence. They just disagree on who was the abuser on the day of the stabbing.
Clenney’s defense has claimed she stabbed Obumseli in self-defense because she was a victim of Obumseli’s violence. Prosecutors have accused Clenney of being Obumseli’s abuser. Her next hearing in the criminal case is on July 7.
Local 10 News requested comment from the attorneys representing the defendants and received the following statement:
“The lawsuit filed by the Obumseli family ignores the fact that Courtney’s actions were taken in self-defense. To be clear, the lawsuit’s timing has nothing to do with the truth or justice; they raced to the courthouse steps in haste just prior to Governor DeSantis signing into law a massive tort reform bill that would limit or eliminate the family’s ability to make a money grab. The lawsuit also ignores clear evidence that Courtney was abused and that Obumseli was her abuser; Courtney’s actions that evening were taken to save her life.”
Local10.com archives: Watch report on surveillance video in elevator
TIMELINE: More archived stories
- Dec. 21, 2022: Video shows Clenney’s reaction to news of Obumseli’s death
- Dec. 8, 2022: Judge declines request for release
- Nov. 15, 2022: Video shows couple’s violence
- Nov. 2, 2022: Crime scene photos released
- Oct. 19, 2022: Listen to 911 calls related to Clenney
- Oct. 18, 2022: Police video of Clenney released
- Sept. 6, 2022: Judge denies Clenney’s request for protection
- Aug. 27, 2022: Clenney faces judge
- Aug. 12, 2022: Clenney was arrested in Vegas for domestic violence
- Aug. 11, 2022: Clenney’s defense attorney says ‘victim’ killed ‘abuser’
- Aug. 10, 2022: Clenney arrested
- April 14, 2022: State attorney involved in case
- April 8, 2022: Murder or self-defense? Family wants answers
- April 6, 2022: No arrest 3 days after fatal stabbing
Local 10 News Assignment Desk Editor Frine Gomez contributed to this report.
Clarification: A status hearing was held, but Clenney was not present in court.