Courtney Clenney

Courtney Clenney Timeline

April 21, 1996

• Courtney Clenney was born on April 21, 1996, in Midland, Texas

November 2020

• Courtney Clenney and Christian “Toby” Obumseli began an on-again, off-again relationship. Investigators later described the relationship as volatile and documented allegations of domestic violence involving both parties. Source

July 27, 2021

• Clenney was arrested in Las Vegas for domestic battery involving Obumseli while the couple was staying at a hotel. The incident was later cited in the Miami murder investigation. Source

February 2022

• Surveillance video from an elevator at the couple’s One Paraiso condominium showed Clenney pushing, slapping and striking Obumseli during an altercation. Prosecutors later released the footage while announcing the murder charge. Source

Late March 2022

• Clenney and Obumseli separated, and Clenney removed him from the Miami apartment they had shared. Building management was already considering action to remove the couple because of repeated disturbances and resident complaints. Source

April 1, 2022

• Clenney and Obumseli reconciled, and Obumseli returned to the apartment. Police were called to the residence following another disturbance. Clenney appeared intoxicated during the encounter. Source

April 3, 2022

• Clenney and Obumseli spent time together with their dogs inside the apartment. Source
• 1:15 p.m. Obumseli left the building. Electronic key-fob records documented his departure. He later obtained sandwiches for himself and Clenney. Source
• 4:01 p.m. Clenney called Obumseli before beginning an Instagram Live broadcast. Source
• 4:33 p.m. Obumseli returned to One Paraiso with food. Investigators determined that the fatal confrontation occurred after he returned. Source
• 4:43 p.m. Clenney called her mother and spoke with her for about six minutes. Source
• 4:46 p.m. Building security called 911 after residents reported hearing a disturbance from the apartment. Source
• 4:49 p.m. Clenney again called her mother and remained on the telephone for about seven minutes. Source
• 4:57 p.m. Clenney called 911 and reported that Obumseli had been stabbed and needed medical assistance. During the call, Obumseli could be heard saying that he was dying and losing feeling in his arm. Clenney could be heard apologizing. Source
• 6:03 p.m. Miami Police crime-scene personnel were dispatched to One Paraiso, 3131 NE 7th Avenue, Apartment 2201, in connection with the homicide investigation. Crime Scene Investigator Marys D. Martinez arrived at 7:08 p.m. Investigators were advised that Christian Obumseli had been transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, while Courtney Clenney had been transported to the Miami Police Department’s Central Station Homicide Office. Source
• Paramedics responded to the apartment. Obumseli had suffered a single stab wound to the chest and was transported for emergency medical treatment. He died from his injuries. Source
• Clenney acknowledged causing the stab wound. She told investigators that Obumseli had shoved her against a wall by her neck, thrown her to the floor, and then approached her after she retrieved a kitchen knife. She said she threw the knife at him from about 10 feet away. Source
• The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner determined that the knife penetrated about three inches into Obumseli’s chest in a downward direction. Prosecutors later argued that the wound was inconsistent with Clenney’s description of throwing the knife from several feet away. Source
• Crime-scene personnel documented Apartment 2201, including the foyer, living and dining areas, kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, hallway, and master-bedroom area. Investigators observed boxes, bags, and clothing throughout portions of the apartment and began photographing, sketching, 3D-scanning, and processing the scene for blood, DNA, and latent prints. Source
• Investigators collected suspected blood from multiple locations beginning outside the apartment, including the east wall and floor of the private #P1 elevator, the lobby floor at the elevator entrance, the second-floor foyer landing, the entrance hallway floor, and the entrance wall of Apartment 2201. Source
• Investigators recovered a KitchenAid knife with a black handle and 4.5-inch blade from the entry-hall closet, on the second shelf from the bottom. Source
• Investigators recovered a six-inch silver Global knife from the living-room floor and a wooden kitchen block containing three additional silver Global knives from the kitchen counter along the north wall. Source
• At Jackson Memorial Hospital, CSI Francesca L. Bain photographed Obumseli’s body and documented stitches on the left side of his chest, the right side of his chest and his right shoulder. Bain reported observing no other visible injuries. Hospital personnel said Obumseli arrived without clothing. Source
• Investigators collect Investigators collected DNA swabs from Obumseli’s face, neck, both hands and palms, and both arms at Jackson Memorial Hospital. Source

April 4, 2022

• 3:51 a.m. Crime-scene personnel completed their initial processing of Apartment 2201 and cleared the scene. The collected evidence, DNA samples, suspected hair samples, carpet section, and knives were secured for laboratory processing and property submission. Source
• The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner documented a stab wound to Obumseli’s chest that penetrated about three inches. Prosecutors later argued that the depth and trajectory of the wound were inconsistent with Clenney’s claim that she threw the knife from across the room. Source
• Crime-scene personnel completed additional reports documenting the One Paraiso apartment and evidence collected during the investigation. Source

August 4, 2022

• Prosecutors filed a criminal information charging Clenney with second-degree murder with a deadly weapon in Obumseli’s death. Source
• Prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for Clenney. Source

April 7, 2022

• Miami Police latent-print personnel examined the latent impressions collected from Apartment 2201 to determine whether they were suitable for identification and comparison. The submitted latent evidence included impressions recovered from the apartment’s front door, hallway, bedroom-door handle, kitchen island, and master-bedroom shower enclosure. Source

April 12, 2022

• At the request of lead CSI Martinez, crime-scene personnel completed a computerized diagram of Apartment 2201. A separate investigator completed 3D scans and a rough sketch of the crime scene. The diagram mapped the foyer, hallway, kitchen, living room, bedrooms, bathrooms, master-bedroom shower, and locations corresponding to recovered evidence. Source

April 13, 2022

• A crime-scene investigator responded to the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office and collected Obumseli’s DNA card, buccal swab, and fingernail clippings. The evidence was transported to the Miami Police Department and secured in an evidence locker. Source

April 18, 2022

• Medical examiner evidence associated with Obumseli was retrieved from an evidence locker, photographed, and packaged for submission to the Miami Police Department property unit. Source

August 10, 2022

• 9:30 a.m. Courtney Taylor Clenney, 26, was arrested without incident in Laupahoehoe, Hawaii, by the U.S. Marshals Service with assistance from the Hawaii Police Department. The arrest was based on a Miami-Dade warrant charging her with second-degree murder with a deadly weapon. Source
• Miami-Dade prosecutors publicly announced the murder case and released evidence describing what State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle called an extremely tempestuous relationship. Prosecutors also displayed the February elevator surveillance footage. Source

August 12, 2022

• Clenney waived extradition proceedings in Hawaii, clearing the way for her transfer to Florida. Source

August 26, 2022

• Clenney was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami after being extradited from Hawaii. She remained held on the second-degree murder charge. Source

November 17, 2022

• Judge Laura Shearon Cruz conducted a bond hearing in which prosecutors and the defense presented evidence concerning the relationship, the stabbing and Clenney’s self-defense claim. The judge postponed her ruling. Source

December 8, 2022

• Judge Cruz denied Clenney’s request for release and ordered her to remain jailed without bond while awaiting trial. Source

December 29, 2022

• 6:30 p.m. While officers were closing the floor in Unit K61, Clenney remained in the floor area and allegedly refused repeated verbal orders to return to her cell. Officer L. Nelson reported requesting assistance by radio before responding staff helped return the involved inmates to their cells. Clenney later said she had been on the telephone and did not hear the order to clear the floor. Source

January 5, 2023

• Clenney appeared for a disciplinary hearing over the December 29 incident and pleaded not guilty to Rule 300.6, conduct that disrupts or interferes with the security or orderly running of the detention facility. The hearing officer found her guilty and imposed five days’ loss of commissary privileges. Source

March 17, 2023

• Christian Obumseli’s estate filed a wrongful-death and negligence lawsuit naming Clenney, the One Paraiso Condominium Association, the property’s management and ownership entities, and its security company as defendants. Source

April 14, 2023

• 7:34 p.m. While housed in Unit K61 at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, Courtney Clenney confronted Corrections Officer L. Nelson after inmates were released for visitation about seven minutes late. Nelson reported that Clenney approached her desk, complained about the delay, told Nelson to “do your job,” and used profanity. Nelson ordered Clenney to return to her room, but reported that Clenney instead walked toward the telephone area while continuing to yell. A corporal responded and escorted Clenney back to her room. The report noted that Clenney had previously been counseled for similar behavior under two earlier reference reports. Clenney disputed the officer’s account, stating that she was upset about the delayed visit but was calm and did not curse. Another inmate supported portions of Clenney’s account. Source⁠

April 27, 2023

• A disciplinary hearing was held over the April 14 incident. Clenney pleaded not guilty, but the disciplinary committee found her guilty of Rule 300.6, conduct that disrupts or interferes with the security or orderly running of the detention facility. She was sanctioned with eight days’ loss of telephone privileges, eight days’ loss of commissary privileges, and eight days’ loss of visitation privileges. Source⁠

June 4, 2023

• Miami police Detective Briceno completed a supplemental investigative report related to the Obumseli homicide investigation. Source

November 16, 2023

• A hearing involving the defense effort to suppress recordings and other evidence was postponed until December. Source

January 30, 2024

• Clenney’s parents, Kim and Deborah Clenney, were arrested in Texas in connection with allegations that Christian Obumseli’s laptop had been accessed after his death. Courtney Clenney was also charged in the computer-access case. Source

January 31, 2024

• Prosecutors filed an amended information in the criminal case. Source

February 1, 2024

• Clenney appeared for a status hearing. Prosecutors sought a gag order as they prepared additional media coverage and a documentary about the case. Source

February 20, 2024

• Clenney pleaded guilty at the disciplinary hearing arising from the February 11 shakedown. She was found guilty of Rule 400.19 and sanctioned with five days’ loss of visitation privileges, five days’ loss of commissary privileges and five days’ loss of telephone privileges. Source

April 11, 2024

• 7:25 a.m. Officers conducted a small-scale shakedown in Unit K6-1 and searched Clenney’s assigned room, #6122. Officers reported finding three white sheets, 21 fiber supplement packs that medical staff said had not been prescribed to her, excessive fruit, miscellaneous shredded paper, about four commissary cracker boxes containing trash and additional papers, one black ink pen, and two long pencils. No security breaches were reported. Clenney was charged with Rule 400.19, possession of contraband. Source
• Text messages involving the Clenney family and attorneys became part of the litigation surrounding evidence seized from the family’s electronic accounts. Source

July 11, 2024

• The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office dropped the computer-crime charges against Courtney Clenney and her parents after a judge excluded evidence obtained from privileged attorney-client communications. Source

September 11, 2024

• A judge ruled that certain text messages and emails could still be used in Clenney’s murder prosecution despite the collapse of the separate computer-crime case. Source

December 12, 2024

• The defense filed a motion to strike as litigation continued over evidence and the prosecution’s handling of privileged communications. Source

February 26, 2025

• 4:15 p.m. Officers conducted a full-scale shakedown in Unit K4-4, searching all 38 inmates and their rooms. The disciplinary notice listed contraband recovered during the operation, including batteries, pens, soap, an altered blue sweatpant, boxers, a black sports bra, orange sweaters, and a white county sheet. The items specifically attributed to Clenney included an extra orange sweater, a blue pen, a black sports bra, an altered blue sweatpant, and two pairs of non-county-issued boxer briefs. Clenney was charged with Rule 400.19, possession of contraband, and refused to sign the disciplinary notification. Source

February 28, 2025

• Judge Cruz authorized the defense to depose Assistant State Attorney Khalil Quinan concerning the prosecution team’s access to privileged Clenney family communications.

March 17, 2025

• Lead prosecutor Khalil Quinan withdrew from the murder case after the court permitted Clenney’s defense attorneys to depose him. Quinan said the deposition would place him in the position of becoming a witness in the case. Source

March 28, 2025

• 9:38 a.m. During a security check in Unit K64, inmate Derrick Johnson told staff that Clenney continuously harassed her while she used the telephone and said she did not want to fight. The resulting disciplinary investigation stated that Clenney had been provoking incidents with multiple inmates regarding telephone use. Clenney was charged with Rule 400.8, being in an unauthorized area. Source

April 8, 2025

• Clenney pleaded not guilty to the Rule 400.8 charge arising from the March 28 incident and submitted a written statement. The disciplinary hearing officer found insufficient evidence and entered a not guilty verdict. No sanction was imposed. Source

May 15, 2025

• During a routine shakedown, Clenney was found in possession of clothing that Miami-Dade Corrections considered unauthorized. She was charged with Rule 400.20, possession of unauthorized clothing not issued by the department or purchased through commissary. Source

May 21, 2025

• Clenney pleaded not guilty to the unauthorized-clothing charge and said she disagreed with the statement of facts. The disciplinary hearing officer found her guilty of Rule 400.20 and imposed seven days’ loss of commissary privileges. Source

May 22, 2025

• Clenney’s attorneys argued that the entire Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office should be disqualified from prosecuting the case because of the handling of privileged attorney-client material.

July 2, 2025

• Judge Cruz denied the defense request to disqualify the entire Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, finding that the established misconduct appeared limited to Quinan.

September 10, 2025

• Clenney’s defense filed a motion seeking dismissal of the murder charge based on alleged Brady and Youngblood violations. The defense alleged that Miami police instructed civilian first responder Danny Del Valle to delete photographs and video he recorded inside the apartment before officers and paramedics arrived.

September 19, 2025

• 7:45 p.m. While staff was attempting to close the floor in Unit K64, an officer reported that two inmates were arguing about telephone use. The officer said Clenney became upset when told to end her telephone call and repeatedly refused orders to return to her room. Clenney was reported standing on the upper-tier stairs yelling profanities and later banging on her door and screaming that she was trying to speak with her mother. She was charged with Rule 300.11, using abusive or obscene language or gestures; Rule 300.6, disruptive conduct; and Rule 300.8, aggravated refusal to follow a written or verbal staff order. Source

September 24, 2025

• At the disciplinary hearing, Clenney pleaded not guilty to all three charges. She said she had become upset because another inmate’s extended telephone use shortened her own telephone time. The hearing officer found Clenney guilty of Rule 300.11 and Rule 300.6, but not guilty of Rule 300.8. She received 15 days’ loss of visitation privileges, 15 days’ loss of telephone privileges and 15 days’ loss of commissary privileges. Source

October 15, 2025

• Clenney’s trial, previously scheduled to begin December 1, was postponed because major evidentiary motions remained unresolved and both sides were not ready for trial. Source

December 3, 2025

• Clenney filed motions asking the court to reconsider her continued detention and release her on bond while the murder case remained pending. Source

December 18, 2025

• Judge Andrea Ricker Wolfson rejected Clenney’s latest efforts to obtain dismissal or release and set the murder trial for April 27, 2026. Source

April 1, 2026

• The April 27 trial date was postponed after prosecutors and the defense jointly requested additional time. The parties reported that 15 to 16 potential Williams-rule witnesses had not appeared for depositions and that expert and discovery issues remained unresolved. Judge Wolfson indicated that she expected the continuance to be the final delay. Source

April 15, 2026

• During a routine shakedown of Unit K6-1, Clenney’s room #7127 and personal property were searched. Officers reported finding untagged cream without a label identifying ownership, a Ray-Ban eyeglass-cleaning cloth, a non-inmate-issued pen, a wooden brush, and an excessive number of headphones. Clenney was charged under Rule 300.18 with possession of contraband. Source

April 20, 2026

• Clenney pleaded not guilty to the contraband charge. She said the cream was prescribed medication whose label had become wet and fallen from the bottle, that she did not know she needed to retain the label, that staff had given her the eyeglass-cleaning cloth and that the wooden brush had been obtained through commissary. The disciplinary hearing officer found her guilty of Rule 300.18 and imposed 14 days’ loss of television privileges, 14 days’ loss of telephone/tablet privileges and 14 days’ loss of commissary privileges. Source

April 27, 2026

• Miami-Dade corrections records documented property intake and release activity involving Clenney while she remained in custody awaiting trial. Source

July 8, 2026

• Reciprocal discovery materials were filed as the case continued toward its rescheduled summer trial. Source

July 31, 2026

• Clenney’s attorneys confirmed that a plea agreement had been reached with prosecutors. The terms were initially withheld pending court approval. Source

August 5, 2026

• Clenney resolved the civil wrongful-death litigation brought in connection with Obumseli’s death shortly before the scheduled criminal plea hearing. Source

Crime Scene

April 3, 2022

• The day began without a documented confrontation. Clenney and Obumseli spent time together with their dogs inside the apartment. Source
• 1:15 p.m. Obumseli left the building. Electronic key-fob records documented his departure. He later obtained sandwiches for himself and Clenney. Source
• 4:01 p.m. Clenney called Obumseli before beginning an Instagram Live broadcast. Source
• 4:33 p.m. Obumseli returned to One Paraiso with food. Investigators determined that the fatal confrontation occurred after he returned. Source
• 4:43 p.m. Clenney called her mother and spoke with her for about six minutes. Source
• 4:46 p.m. Building security called 911 after residents reported hearing a disturbance from the apartment. Source
• 4:49 p.m. Clenney again called her mother and remained on the telephone for about seven minutes. Source
• 4:57 p.m. Clenney called 911 and reported that Obumseli had been stabbed and needed medical assistance. During the call, Obumseli could be heard saying that he was dying and losing feeling in his arm. Clenney could be heard apologizing. Source
• Police and paramedics responded to the apartment. Obumseli had suffered a single stab wound to the chest and was transported for emergency medical treatment. He died from his injuries. Source
• Clenney acknowledged causing the stab wound. She told investigators that Obumseli had shoved her against a wall by her neck, thrown her to the floor, and then approached her after she retrieved a kitchen knife. She said she threw the knife at him from about 10 feet away. Source
• The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner determined that the knife penetrated about three inches into Obumseli’s chest in a downward direction. Prosecutors later argued that the wound was inconsistent with Clenney’s description of throwing the knife from several feet away. Source
• Police initially investigated whether Clenney had acted in self-defense. She was not immediately arrested. Source

Records

Court Proceedings and Trial

November 17, 2022

• Judge Laura Shearon Cruz conducted an Arthur hearing and heard testimony and arguments concerning whether Clenney should remain detained while awaiting trial. Prosecutors argued that her financial resources and lack of strong Florida ties made her a flight risk. The court postponed its bond decision. Source

December 8, 2022

• Judge Cruz denied Clenney’s request for release and ordered her held without bond pending trial. The court found significant inconsistencies between Clenney’s self-defense account and other evidence in the case. Source

November 16, 2023

• A hearing concerning the defense motion to suppress recordings of Clenney and Obumseli was postponed until December. The defense argued that certain recordings had been obtained illegally and should not be admitted at trial. Source

February 1, 2024

• Clenney appeared in court for a status hearing in the murder case. Prosecutors sought restrictions on public comments about the case as media attention increased ahead of a documentary about the killing. Source

June 2024

• Judge Laura Cruz ruled that prosecutors had improperly accessed attorney-client communications belonging to the Clenney family during the computer investigation. The communications included discussions involving Clenney’s defense lawyers and information related to defense strategy. The court excluded the privileged material. Source

July 11, 2024

• The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office dropped the computer-crime charges against Courtney Clenney and her parents after the court ruled that the text messages supporting the prosecution were protected by attorney-client privilege. The second-degree murder prosecution continued. Source

September 11, 2024

• The court ruled that prosecutors could use certain text messages and emails obtained during the broader investigation as evidence in Clenney’s murder prosecution, despite the collapse of the separate computer-access case. Source

February 28, 2025

• Judge Cruz authorized Clenney’s attorneys to depose Assistant State Attorney Khalil Quinan regarding his access to communications that had been ruled protected by attorney-client privilege. Source 

March 17, 2025

• Lead prosecutor Khalil Quinan withdrew from Clenney’s murder case after the court ruled that the defense could question him under oath about his access to privileged defense communications. Quinan said that being deposed would effectively make him a witness in the case. Source

May 22, 2025

• Clenney’s defense asked the court to disqualify the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office from prosecuting the murder case, arguing that prosecutors’ access to privileged communications had tainted the prosecution. The State Attorney’s Office argued that the conduct was limited and had not prejudiced Clenney’s defense. Source

July 2, 2025

• The court denied the defense request to disqualify the entire Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, determining that the established misconduct was attributable to the prosecutor who had already withdrawn from the case rather than the entire office. Source

September 10, 2025

• The defense filed another motion seeking dismissal of the murder case, alleging that Miami police instructed a civilian witness who arrived before officers to delete photographs and video he had taken of the crime scene. The defense argued that the deleted material could have contained evidence relevant to Clenney’s self-defense claim. Source

October 15, 2025

• Clenney’s planned December 1, 2025 murder trial was postponed after prosecutors and defense attorneys told the court they were not ready because several pretrial motions remained unresolved. Source

December 18, 2025

• Judge Andrea Ricker Wolfson scheduled Clenney’s murder trial for April 27, 2026. The judge also denied another effort by the defense to dismiss the case and obtain Clenney’s release from custody. Source

April 1, 2026

• Judge Wolfson granted another continuance after both sides reported that 15 to 16 witnesses connected to proposed evidence of Clenney’s prior conduct had failed to appear for depositions. Additional expert and discovery issues also remained unresolved. The parties began working toward an August trial. Source

July 31, 2026

• Clenney’s attorneys confirmed that they had reached a plea agreement with prosecutors that would resolve the second-degree murder prosecution without a trial. The terms remain subject to court approval. Source

August 10, 2026

• Prosecutors amended the criminal charge from second-degree murder to manslaughter with a deadly weapon, a first-degree felony. Clenney pleaded guilty, formally accepting criminal responsibility for Obumseli’s death. Source
• Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Andrea Ricker Wolfson sentenced Clenney to six years in Florida state prison, with credit for time served since her August 10, 2022 arrest, followed by five years of reporting probation. She was also ordered to undergo a mental-health evaluation and complete any treatment deemed necessary. Source
• Because Clenney had already spent four years in custody, her attorneys estimated that she would serve roughly another 18 to 24 months before becoming eligible for release, depending on applicable corrections calculations. Source
• Christian Obumseli’s mother addressed the court before sentencing. The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office said the plea agreement had been reached in consultation with and with the approval of Obumseli’s family. Source