Fox News Flash top headlines for April 14
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The attorney for a slain Miami man’s family is disputing claims of self-defense from Instagram and OnlyFans model Courtney Tailor, who appeared covered in blood on a luxury high-rise balcony as her boyfriend was dying of a stab wound to the chest.
"We believe that her statements are self-serving in an effort to avoid any accountability for using deadly force when no deadly force had been used against her," Larry Handfield, a lawyer for Obumseli’s family, told Fox News Digital Thursday. "Although the family is still mourning the untimely death of Mr. Obumseli, we believe that once a full investigation is done Ms. Clenney will be held to account for taking the life of Mr. Obumseli."
Christian Tobechukwu "Toby" Obumseli, 27, died on April 3 after police said he was stabbed in the chest during a domestic violence incident at the couple’s luxury apartment at El Paraiso, overlooking the Biscayne Bay. He was a Texas native and sports fan who moved to Florida with Clenney reportedly to work in cryptocurrency as she pursued her internet modeling career.
Christian Tobechukwu Obumseli suffered "an apparent knife wound" in a domestic violence incident Sunday, according to Miami police. (Instagram/@christianvstoby)
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Tailor, whose real name is Courtney Clenney, was seen on camera handcuffed and soaked in blood but has not been charged. Handfield dismissed her claim of self-defense as "an allegation" and said a thorough investigation would find it to be unfounded.
Frank Prieto, Clenney’s attorney, has maintained that his client is a domestic violence survivor and that she had "no choice" but to defend herself during the bloody altercation.
"Courtney was not arrested because it is a clear she was defending herself and was the victim of domestic violence," he told Fox News Digital earlier this week. "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."
TMZ obtained and published the images of her on the balcony last week. Days later, she left a Miami hotel lobby after someone confronted her on camera as she was sitting with her father.
The Miami-based WPLG 10 reported earlier this month 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 broke up last month, according to the Miami Herald, and Obumseli allegedly began sleeping in the building’s common areas.
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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.
Miami police have released few details about the stabbing. 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 he was pronounced 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."
Miami model Courtney Clenney's lawyer said she is a domestic violence survivor. (Instagram/@courtneytailor)
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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.
Jeffrey Obumseli, the slain man’s older brother, took issue with the lack of transparency in an Instagram post Monday and alleged it "strongly suggests foul play is involved."
He has maintained his brother’s death was a "murder," despite the lack of charges.
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"Courtney still has yet to explain exactly what happened leading up to Toby’s murder," he wrote. "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."
