Judge makes surprise move in case of 'killer' OnlyFans model Courtney Clenney
A Miami-Dade judge has shockingly decided to rule out a key piece of evidence in the case OnlyFans model Courtney Clenney - much to the dismay of prosecutors.
Courtney has been charged with second-degree murder after being accused of fatally stabbing her cryptocurrency trader boyfriend Christian Obumseli in April 2022 at their luxury Miami apartment.
Parents Kim and Deborah Clenney had also been taken in custody for breaking in and stealing the victim's computer - but were later released.
State attorneys were able to gain access to Kim's iCloud account where they found messages showing the family working with defense attorneys to guess passwords to access the laptop.
But today, Judge Laura Cruz ruled in a two-paragraph opinion that the state prosecutors had violated attorney-client privilege by accessing the Clenney family's private conversations with their own lawyers.
OnlyFans model Courtney Clenney, 27, is accused of fatally stabbing her cryptocurrency trader boyfriend Christian Obumseli in April 2022 at their luxury Miami apartment
'The communication sought to be excluded by the parties is protected by attorney-client privilege and/or work product privilege.
'This privilege was violated, albeit perhaps unknowingly, when the communication was read by prosecutors in this case.
'The proper remedy for this breach of privilege is exclusion of the communication from use in this case as evidence,' Judge Cruz declared in court.
But while she ruled in the favor of the defendants on this particular point, Judge Cruz did not dismiss the case, and said that she would go into detail on her decision during the upcoming Friday hearing.
Parents Kim and Deborah Clenney had also been taken in custody for stealing the victim's computer and breaking in for access but were later released
Jude Faccidomo, who represents the Clenneys said after the decision: 'Today, Judge Cruz granted our motion to exclude evidence, what that means, the state attorney’s office breached the attorney client privilege and that was unlawful.
It's a bedrock principle of privacy the state should never have breached. They entered the defense camp.
'All of that taints their prosecution. They targeted our clients Kim and Deborah, for no reason.'
It remains unclear whether the state will now drop the single charge of illegally accessing Obumseli’s computer on the accused and her parents.
Previously, in an interview with TMZ's Harvey Levin, Kim and Deborah had discussed their infamous daughter's case and said that had she not violently protected herself, she would have ultimately been the victim.
'Even if this hadn't happened, it would be her funeral we were talking about. It would have been the other way around - for sure,' Deborah said, referring to the day her daughter stabbed her boyfriend to death.
Clenney fatally stabbed Obumseli at the couple´s Miami apartment in April 2022
Courtney, who used the name Courtney Tailor on platforms such as Instagram and OnlyFans, was taken into custody months after the stabbing
Prosecutors have said it was the culmination of a 'tempestuous and combative relationship' that began in November 2020.
Courtney has admitted to killing Obumseli but said she was acting in self-defense. Her attorney, Frank Prieto claims that Obumseli was regularly abusive.
The model previously told investigators that Obumseli had pushed her and thrown her to the floor, which prompted her to grab a knife and throw it at Obumseli from about 10 feet away.
The bloodstained scene from Clenney and Obumseli's apartment
But the medical examiner who performed the autopsy on Obumseli said his wound could not have been caused by a knife thrown from that distance.
In April 2024, bodycam footage emerged of Courtney covered in blood and pleading with paramedics to save him moments after the incident.
The new video showed the moment authorities entered the apartment and found the OnlyFans model cradling Obumseli crying 'baby, baby, baby, wake up' and 'no, no, no,' as police told her to move away.
She was covered in blood from head to toe, wearing drenched sweatpants and said 'I can't let this happen, it wasn't me' as police pulled her hands behind her back and cuffed her.
Prosecutors have said his death was the culmination of a 'tempestuous and combative relationship' that began in November 2020
While talking to police as paramedics tried to save Obumseli, she told them 'I'm terrified for him' and 'I was so scared.'
'I am covered in his blood because I was trying to save him... I need him, he was my other half,' Courtney said.
Along with this, a video of Courtney smacking her boyfriend weeks before he died was made public earlier this year.
The footage, filmed by another person in the room, shows Clenney blaming Obumseli for 'hindering her progress' and sobriety.
She complains about him 'flirting' with other women, not completing social media content for her and telling him she is 'fed up'.
He is heard arguing back and telling her that he is 'done'.
The pair had moved to Miami at the beginning of 2022 and staff and residents at the One Paraiso building, where they lived, reported multiple domestic disturbance complaints about the couple and had even moved to evict them.
