Fox News Flash top headlines for April 11
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The family of slain Miami 27-year-old Christian Tobechukwu "Toby" Obumseli is demanding justice and claiming police had declined to charge his Instagram model girlfriend, Courtney Clenney, because of "privilege," not her claim of self-defense in a domestic violence incident that ended in his fatal stabbing.
Her attorney, meanwhile, doubled down on his self-defense argument and told Fox News Digital Monday that "justice in this case demands that Courtney does not face any charges."
"Courtney still has yet to explain exactly what happened leading up to Toby’s murder" Jeffrey Obumseli, the slain man’s brother, wrote on Instagram. "We have every reason to believe that his death was the result of unwarranted and unprovoked violence. We want to see that justice is served."
Christian Tobechukwu Obumseli suffered "an apparent knife wound" in a domestic violence incident Sunday, April 3, according to Miami police. (Instagram/@christianvstoby)
FLORIDA MODEL COURTNEY CLENNEY SPOTTED IN MIAMI HOTEL WITH FATHER AFTER BOYFRIEND'S STABBING DEATH
Clenney, an Instagram and OnlyFans model who uses the name Courtney Tailor online, was caught on video covered in blood on her luxury high-rise balcony after the incident but has not been charged. TMZ obtained and published the images last week.
"The bottom line is inextricably clear: Courtney is being treated differently because of her privilege as a wealthy White woman," Jeffrey Obumseli wrote on Instagram. "Within 24 hours following Toby’s death, the detective on the case prematurely concluded this was not a crime of violence."
He also condemned a series of resurfaced, old tweets from his brother and said that they had nothing to do with his death. He alleged that Clenney did not suffer any injuries to support her claim of self-defense.
Miami model Courtney Clenney's lawyer said she is a domestic violence survivor. (Instagram/@courtneytailor)
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But Clenney, through her attorney, is pushing back against the statements from Obumseli’s family that he was a victim of "murder" and she was receiving special treatment.
"Courtney was not arrested because it is a clear she was defending herself and was the victim of domestic violence," her attorney, Frank Prieto, told Fox News Digital Monday. "As a former prosecutor with the Miami [State Attorney’s Office], the fact she has not been arrested or charged is indicative that the investigation has concluded she acted in self-defense."
He said his client was cooperating with investigators.
"Mr. Obumseli was mentally, emotionally, and physically abusive with Courtney," Prieto told Fox News Digital. "That tragic night, there was a physical altercation and Courtney had no choice but to defend herself."
"We understand the family wants ‘justice,’ but justice, in this case, demands that Courtney does not face any charges," he added. "This is not a case about White or wealthy privilege; this is a case of self-defense by a victim of domestic violence."
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Jeffrey Obumseli did not respond to multiple Fox News Digital requests for comment. Neither did attorneys representing his family.
In his Instagram post, he slammed Clenney for a pair of videos that emerged following the incident, one showing her covered in blood and another showing her leaving a Miami hotel lobby when confronted on camera.
"We’ve seen videos of Courtney kissing her dogs while covered in what we believe to be my brother’s blood and casually getting drinks at a hotel bar days later while my brother lays in the morgue," he wrote.
Clenney was filmed at Miami’s Grand Beach hotel Friday, days after her boyfriend’s death, but she got up and left after the person holding the camera confronted her.
"The statement about Courtney ‘casually getting drinks’ is absolutely false," Prieto said. "Courtney was not ‘casually getting drinks at a hotel bar.’ Courtney was sitting at an unattended table in the hotel lobby area that also has a bar."
Her father, in town to "be with his grieving daughter," had ordered a drink for himself, Prieto said.
"They left because the woman was berating them for no reason," he added. "It’s a shame that a member of the public would confront them without knowing the facts of what occurred that evening."
The Miami-based WPLG 10 reported Friday that friends of the couple described "a very rocky relationship" — although the sources gave conflicting stories about who might have been the aggressor. The couple reportedly broke up last month, according to the Miami Herald, and Obumseli allegedly began sleeping in the building’s common areas.
Then on April 1, Miami police were dispatched to their apartment for a separate domestic call, the paper reported, citing local law enforcement sources. The officers found bruises on Clenney’s arms and legs, but no one was arrested.
Despite the lack of charges following his brother's death, Obsumeli described it as a "murder" and claimed that a "lack of transparency" surrounding the case "strongly suggests foul play is involved."
Miami police have released few details so far. They said Obsumseli suffered "an apparent knife wound" to the chest as the result of a domestic dispute on Sunday, April 3, at the couple’s luxury apartment. First responders rushed him to the nearby Jackson Memorial Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.
Police did not identify Clenney in their official statement Thursday, stating only that "a female was located on scene and interviewed by detectives and that "the preliminary investigation determined that both Mr. Obumseli and the female had been involved in a physical altercation."
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A law enforcement source told Fox News Digital that Clenney was taken to a hospital under the Baker Act for a mental health evaluation after the incident. Under the law, details about such hospitalizations are confidential.
Fox News' Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
