Instagram and OnlyFans model Courtney Clenney was sentenced Monday to six years in prison for the 2022 fatal stabbing of her boyfriend, Christian Tobechukwu “Toby” Obumseli, bringing a stunning end to the high-profile murder case just weeks before she was scheduled to stand trial.
However, the judge is allowing Clenney to get credit for the time she has already served, which means she may only spend two more years behind bars for taking a man’s life.
Clenney, 30, had faced a second-degree murder charge in the April 3, 2022, killing of Obumseli, 27, inside the couple’s luxury Miami apartment. She was arrested in Hawaii on Aug. 10, 2022.
Clenney Gets Plea Deal
The sentence came after Clenney reached a plea agreement with prosecutors and Obumseli’s family to avoid a trial that had been scheduled for later in August. She also faces five years of probation for the new charge of manslaughter with a deadly weapon.
Clenney must also complete a mental health and substance abuse evaluations and any associated programs if necessary according eight-page plea deal. She must also complete a batterer’s intervention program, an education-based initiative meant to hold domestic violence offenders accountable for their actions.
An attorney representing Obumseli’s family previously said the agreement would allow Clenney to plead guilty and “accept full responsibility” while beginning the process of bringing closure to his family.
The resolution marks a turn in a case that attracted national attention for more than four years.
Clenney, who amassed millions of social media followers under the name Courtney Tailor, initially pleaded not guilty and maintained that she killed Obumseli in self-defense during a violent argument.
Clenney Had Record of Alleged Abuse
Prosecutors painted a much different picture.
After a four-month investigation that included surveillance footage, witness interviews and forensic evidence, authorities alleged Clenney was the primary aggressor in the couple’s volatile relationship.
Audio from Clenney’s 911 call captured Obumseli’s final moments after the stabbing.
“I think I’m going to die. I can’t feel my arms,” Obumseli could be heard saying.
Clenney told police she threw the knife at Obumseli from about 10 feet away while defending herself.
Her attorneys had been preparing to take the case to trial and recently sought permission to introduce a 2020 animal cruelty allegation against Obumseli, which he denied.
Family Reacts to Sentencing
According to Obumseli’s family, Clenney had previously stabbed and injured him during a prior domestic violence attack. They also pointed out Clenney called her mother, the security at the front desk of the building, before she called 911.
“To us that is inhumane,” said family attorney Larry Hanfield, who read the family’s impact statement.
Clenney has not apologized to the family for the man’s death, which “changed” their “lives forever.”
Obumseli’s mother addressed Clenney after the sentencing Monday, detailing the profound impact of her son’s sudden death.
“Words can never fully explain how Christian’s death has affected my life and the lives of everyone in our family. There’s simply too much pain to put on paper,” the mother said.
The grieving mother said she didn’t want her son to just be remembered for the way he died, but for the “kind-hearted, compassionate, friendly and respectful” man that he was.
Clenney appeared to hold back tears as the mother spoke.
“Nothing can erase the pain of the day that I buried my son. Nothing can describe what it feels like for a mother to stand at the grave of her child,” the mother said while surrounded by other family members. “There are also the things that will never happen for me now that he’s gone: the birthdays, the holidays we will not celebrate with him, the conversations we will never have, the person he would have continued to become. Those losses continue much longer after today’s court case ends.”
