A white OnlyFans model and social media influencer stabbed and killed her Black boyfriend in Miami last weekend.
Now, as authorities weigh whether to bring charges against the woman, family, friends, and neighbors are torn about the circumstances surrounding the death, noting the couple had a sometimes-abusive relationship.
Christian Tobechukwu “Toby” Obumseli, 27, was stabbed by his white girlfriend Courtney Clenney, a popular Instagram star two years his junior, on Sunday, April 3, at the couple’s One Paraiso luxury building in the Edgewater section of the city.
The Nigerian-American was pronounced dead at a local hospital, and Clenney was questioned by police but not arrested.
A video posted this week by TMZ depicts the woman standing outside the luxury apartment building covered in blood while talking to the police before being detained. Shortly after her detention she was hospitalized under the Baker Act. Clenney was under suicide watch after saying she wanted to take her own life.
Florida’s Baker Act law allows police, doctors, mental health professionals, and judges to commit a person to a mental health treatment center for up to 72 hours if they show specific violent or suicidal tendencies.
Her name was not released by law enforcement, but friends and family of the deceased took to social media to identify her as the blue check IG model with 2 million followers.
A day after the death, she posted content on her OnlyFans page.
A woman claiming to be Obumseli’s cousin wrote on Twitter and wrote, “This girl stabbed my cousin to death and got out on bail in less than a day.. @CourtneyTailor.”
Later she posted a GoFundMe link titled “In Memory & Justice of Christian Toby Obumseli” that was set up by Obumseli’s brother Jeffrey Obumseli.
“It is not enough to say we are shocked and hurting — We are utterly devastated,” Jeffrey wrote. “His murder leaves many unanswered questions and creates a void that can never be fixed or filled. Not even with time.”
Obumseli was described as “extremely compassionate” and is said to have had an “infectious smile that could light up any room.” Set at a target goal of $100,000, the family says the funds will go to “postmortem transportation of the body, funeral arrangements, attorney fees, litigation, counseling, and bills for the family as we seek justice for our beloved brother and son.”
Two days after being set up, the family is almost a quarter away from their goal.
A “very active investigation” has been engaged by law enforcement, hoping to determine the motive of the assault — not ruling out self-defense on the woman’s part and noting there was a struggle between the two before the stabbing.
Miami PD spokesperson said, “We know that there was a physical altercation between them before he was stabbed.”
Friends of the couple said they knew the couple had a volatile relationship but say they don’t believe he was the aggressor in the relationship.
Ashley Vaughn said, “We’ve seen her hit him. I’ve never seen him hit her.”
I’m concerned nobody is mentioning his gf @CourtneyTailor is the one that did it. She gets violent when she’s angry and high on drugs. I’m concerned she got out of jail on bail. I’m concerned a white girl will get away with murdering a black man. https://t.co/H02qcGrgvl
— Jenna Lee (@TheJennaLee_) April 6, 2022
“From what we’ve personally experienced between the both of them,” She continued. “We believe that Christian wouldn’t put her in a position where she would need to stab him to protect herself.”
Another person who claims to know the woman tweeted, “I’m concerned nobody is mentioning his gf @CourtneyTailor is the one that did it. She gets violent when she’s angry and high on drugs. I’m concerned she got out of jail on bail. I’m concerned a white girl will get away with murdering a Black man.”
A neighbor who could see into the couple’s apartment from his, has a very different account of Obumseli’s disposition. He said he saw him strike the woman the week before his death, saying, “I could not tell if it was open-handed or closed-handed, but he was swinging at her.”
Friends say the couple moved to South Florida from Texas within the past two years, NBC 6 reports. Reports on Twitter she was a graduate of Plano East High School in Dallas. Police say they were called multiple times since January to the residence concerning domestic disturbances.
Larry Handfield, the Obumseli family’s attorney, told reporters this week how their loved one’s death has affected them.
“The family is devastated by the loss of life,” Handfield said. “At this point, all they’re looking for is justice.”
Obumseli’s death came one week before he would have turned 28.
