OnlyFans model Courtney Tailor has appeared in court over the murder of her boyfriend Christian Obumseli.
Prosecutors have argued that the star – whose real name is Courtney Clenney – stabbed Obumseli on 3 April, fatally cutting his subclavian artery.
After being charged with second-degree murder, Clenney pleaded not guilty, saying she had acted in self defence.
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The 26-year-old appeared in a Florida court today (Tuesday 6 September) for an evidentiary hearing, with footage from inside the courtroom showing her wearing an orange jumpsuit and face mask.
Her defence asked the judge for a prosecution order to limit what evidence is made public to the media, claiming that certain outlets are ‘chasing clicks’ and that the State Attorney’s office mobilised press by releasing elevator footage that shows a physical altercation between the couple. However, the judge denied this motion.
Speaking at a press conference last month, Miami-Dade State Attorney Kathie Fernandez Rundle said Clenney and Obumseli's relationship was 'extremely tempestuous and combative'.
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"The violent and toxic two-year relationship of Christian Obumseli and Courtney Clenney did not have to end in tragedy with Christian's murder as a victim of domestic violence," Rundle said.
Clenney, who appeared on OnlyFans under the name Courtney Tailor, had grown a fanbase of two million people on Instagram.
Online jail records reviewed by Law&Crime show she currently remains incarcerated at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami, ahead of facing a jury later this year. Clenney has been held at the facility without bond after being extradited from Hawaii last week.
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According to attorney Larry Handfield, who is representing Obumseli’s family, Clenney had a ‘history of being the aggressor throughout the relationship’.
He said: “What you saw in the elevator was just an isolated glimpse of a pattern of conduct that was demonstrated by the defendant in this case."
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But Clenney’s defence attorney Frank Prieto has continued to reiterate her self defence claim, telling Law&Crime: “We are completely shocked at Courtney’s arrest based upon the clear evidence of self defense in this matter.
“Obumseli attacked her and choked her that evening; Courtney had no choice but to meet force with force.”
Prieto described the charge as ‘unfounded and baseless’ adding that his client was ‘clearly defending herself’.
According to a court docket in Miami-Dade County, Clenney is due to face a jury on 19 December.
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Topics: US News
Jess Hardiman