Courtney Clenney‘s lawyer doubled down on her self-defense claims amid surfaced audio of his client berating Christain Obumseli with excessive use of the n-word. Police found that recording among others stored on Christian’s phone in the months leading up to his death. Courtney is on trial for stabbing Obumseli on April 3 in their shared Miami condo.
“The evidence makes it very clear the two were in a toxic and dysfunctional relationship. from which Courtney had asked for help from both police and her family to leave,” Clenney’s attorney Frank Prieto told TMZ.
In less than two minutes, Courtney repeatedly calls Christian the n-word, threatens and asks to slap him, and taunts him with phrases like “man up, bitch.” She also demands that he find her phone and charge it using explicit language.
Throughout the audio, Christian expresses confusion at Courtney’s heightened voice and yells. He also reminds her of his apologies. The heated conversation seemingly stemmed from Christian saying hello to a friend in passing and not telling Courtney about it.
Courtney’s Lawyer Labels Her A Victim Of Domestic Abuse
Prieto didn’t share any sort of apologies on his client’s behalf for her racist rhetoric. But he did affirm the self-defense and victim of domestic violence narratives.
“She’s not going to trial for her lifestyle, her previous arguments, or recorded rants. She is going to trial for defending herself against a violent struggle with her ex-boyfriend for which she feared for her life,” Prieto said. “Courtney is a victim of domestic abuse.”
Prieto added that showing pieces of evidence without context can prevent Courtney from having a fair trial.
At the time of the stabbing, police failed to identify Courtney as a suspect. She was detained at the scene but was ultimately released. And when video surfaced of her covered in blood inside their apartment, she was still not named a suspect. Days later, a woman confronted Courtney as she sat at a hotel bar with her father.
The videotaped interaction received as much viral backlash as Christian’s resurfaced tweets bashing Black women. His brother Jeffrey released a statement addressing Courtney and his brother’s negative comparisons of Black women to white women. In the statement, the Obumseli family condemned his insults but continued to call for justice.
“Courtney Clenney’s callous actions have not been met with an ounce of remorse. We’ve seen videos of Courtney kissing her dogs while covered in blood and casually getting drinks at a hotel bar days later while my brother lays in the morgue,” Jeffrey said. He added, “…the lack of transparency strongly suggests foul play was involved” and that the family had “every reason to believe that [Christian’s] death was the result of unwarranted and unprovoked violence. We want to see justice served.”
Footage Of Courtney Attacking Christian Surfaces After Police Charge Courtney With Murder
Despite the family’s demands for justice, her arrest didn’t come until August. She was detained at a rehab facility in Hawaii, where she was allegedly receiving treatment for post-traumatic disorder and substance abuse. Authorities charged the 26-year-old with second-degree murder with a deadly weapon.
Within the same week, TMZ obtained footage of Courtney initiating a physical fight inside an elevator in February 2021. Christian attempted to keep her at bay with his forearm but ultimately shoved her a few times after she repeatedly lunged and swung at him. Courtney is seen punching his head and pulling his hair–even as he walks out of the elevator on a different floor.
By the end of August, a judge denied Courtney’s request for bail, despite her lawyer arguing for lowered charges. In the weeks since more details have emerged about the nature of their relationship.
Body camera footage released in October shows police speaking to a building employee and Courtney two days before the fatal stabbing. However, the police seemed confused about Courtney’s situation. She requested a restraining order against Christian, but also declined to mention any violence on the night of the call–despite the employee witnessing Christian “charging” at her.
