Prosecutors Show Video of Fight

The evidence, according to the state attorney, is damning, because Clenney allegedly told the police that she’d thrown the knife at her boyfriend when he was 10 feet away.  Christian Tobechukwu “Toby” Obumseli, 27, died on Sun., April 3.

Clenney was arrested in Hawaii on Wednesday, Rundle confirmed. Rundle said Clenney’s attorney indicated that Clenney would waive extradition to Florida to face a second-degree murder charge.

If Clenney does not agree to be extradited, Rundle said her office was poised to seek a warrant through the office of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).

Rundle also released a video of a prior violent interaction between the suspect and Obumseli in an elevator from February 2022 — months before the killing.

According to Rundle, the recording shows Clenney as the primary aggressor. The video seemed aimed to contradict claims by Clenney’s attorney, Frank Prieto, that Clenney stabbed Obumseli in self-defense.

The video shows Clenney slamming what appears to be the elevator’s control panel before hitting Obumseli. Obumseli appears to attempt to avoid the assault but at one point eventually pushes back. After that, Clenney continues to strike him.

An attorney for Obumseli’s family also said the video was damning for Clenney.

The recording showed that Clenney had a “history of being the aggressor throughout the relationship,” said Attorney Larry Handfield.

“What you saw in the elevator was just an isolated glimpse of a pattern of conduct,” Handfield added.

This is video of a previous encounter between murder suspect Courtney Clenney and her now deceased boyfriend. The 2/21/22 incident shows her attacking him in an elevator before he pushed her away. @wsvn pic.twitter.com/Dt3B0rX9Vq

— Sheldon Fox-7 News (@fox_sheldon) August 11, 2022

An autopsy provided evidence Rundle’s office considered key to the murder charge. The office of the chief medical examiner determined, according to the prosecutor, that the “forceful downward thrust” of a knife resulted in a wound about three inches — or eight centimeters — deep in Obumseli’s chest.

The authorities allege that the force and the depth of the fatal wound mean it could not have been caused by the mere throwing of a knife, as Clenney allegedly claimed.

Rundle said the victim and the defendant shared an “extremely tempestuous and combative relationship” that was so rancorous that it attracted significant attention from neighbors, security officials, and management at the luxury apartment building where the couple lived.

Security crews at the facility documented “many instances of loud arguments” after the couple moved into the building in January 2022, Rundle said.  Tenants from as far as two floors above the couple’s apartment complained about the “noises and the ruckus,” the prosecutor told assembled reporters on Thursday afternoon.

Management at the facility even considered evicting the couple “because of these many noise complaints,” Rundle indicated.

On the day of the murder, Rundle said Clenney called Obumseli at 4:01 p.m. and then went live on Instagram.  At 4:33, Clenney allegedly called Obumseli again shortly after posting a video.  Also at 4:33, Obumseli is believed by prosecutors to have walked into the apartment where Clenney fatally stabbed him.

At 4:43, Clenney called her mother and spoke on the phone until 4:49 p.m., according to the prosecutor.  That call allegedly lasted just over six minutes.  At 4:49 p.m., Clenney allegedly placed a second call her to mother.  That discussion lasted a little more than seven minutes and ended at 4:56 p.m., Rundle said.

Clenney called 911 at 4:57 p.m., the prosecutor continued, and police officers exited the elevator near Clenney’s apartment unit  at 5:04:57 p.m.

Handfield said the revelations meant Thursday was a “very, very sad day” for the victim’s family, but it was a day they long had hoped to see: a day that ended with a criminal prosecution.

Prieto responded to the prosecutor’s allegations by issuing the following statement to Law&Crime:

It is a shame that the State Attorney’s Office is seeking to win this case in the court of public opinion by showing an irrelevant and likely inadmissible video of Courtney in an elevator getting physical with Obumseli. The video does not depict the events leading up to what was captured in the elevator. Obumseli was the abuser, the worst kind of abuser. He would manipulate and abuse Courtney in private when he thought nobody was around. Do not forget that the initial investigation from the City of Miami Police Department uncovered an independent witness who saw Obumseli hitting Courtney in the head while he thought he was in the privacy of Courtney’s apartment. Nobody has ever denied that Courtney and her abuser had a tumultuous relationship. It is inappropriate for prosecutors to try and taint the community against Courtney to the point she may not be able to receive a fair trial. The charging decision in this matter should have been made on the evidence of what occurred that evening in the apartment and nothing more. This is a case of self defense and the facts that will be presented at trial will prove this.

Also, the arrest warrant issued in this matter contains deceptive and incomplete statements; clearly an effort to justify a finding of probable cause when presented to the magistrate. Further, the medical examiner has formulated conclusory opinions that will not stand up to scientific scrutiny. Unfortunately, it appears that the prosecutors have taken “the easy way out” by charging Courtney; effectively placing the decision to clear Courtney of these charges in the hands of the judge and jury. We are confident she will be exonerated, and Courtney will be seen for what she is: a victim of domestic abuse that survived her abuser.