A judge in Florida rejected a request on Tuesday to limit the release of evidence in the upcoming trial of OnlyFans model Courtney Clenney, who is accused of murdering her boyfriend in their Miami condo in April.
Clenney’s lawyer, Frank Prieto, asked Judge Diana Vizcaino to control the amount of specifically “salacious” and “sexually explicit” evidence presented in the trial. He claimed a media circus would ensue and impact the fairness of his client’s trial and jury selection processes.
Clenney, who used the name Courtney Tailor on Instagram (where she has two million followers) and OnlyFans, produced adult content. Prieto asked for a protective order to limit the discovery of evidence presented in court — evidence he described as “sexually explicit” and “pornography.”
“To vigorously defend my client, I’m not going to stand back and let her be a punching bag for the media,” Prieto said. “This case needs to be tried in this courtroom with the protections of a fair and impartial trial.”
The evidence presented by the prosecution in court on Tuesday included crime scene photos, the murder weapon and the timeline before and after Clenney, 26, allegedly stabbed then-boyfriend Christian Toby Obumseli.
Prosecutors also moved to admit a video of Clenney and Obumseli in an elevator two months before his death. CBS claimed Clenney can be seen hitting and shoving her boyfriend in the security camera footage.
Clenney was charged last month with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of Obumseli. Last week, she pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Clenney claimed she was acting out of self-defence. She alleged that she threw a kitchen knife at Obumseli after he grabbed her throat and held her against a wall.
Miami State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle argued in court last month there had been “many instances” of arguments between the couple. She claimed several neighbours in Clenney and Obumseli’s Miami condo had complained about noise on numerous occasions.
She also claimed when Clenney called 911 to report that Obumseli had been stabbed, he could be heard in the background of the call saying he was dying and losing feeling in his arm, CBS reported. Clenney reportedly told him “I’m so sorry” over the 911 call.
Obumseli was dead in Clenney’s arms when police arrived.
A medical examiner has since alleged Obumseli’s three-inch deep stab wound to the chest appeared to be from a “downward strike” with a knife, not one that was thrown.
Clenney was previously charged with domestic battery against Obumseli, spawning from an incident in Las Vegas at a hotel in July 2021.
She was arrested Aug. 10 in Hawaii, where she had been in a rehab centre for PTSD and substance abuse, according to Prieto.
Clenney’s trial is scheduled for Dec. 19.
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