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Miami-Dade County State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle on Aug. 11, 2022, unsealed the arrest warrant for model Courtney Clenney, one day after U.S. marshals arrested her in Hawaii in connection with the Miami death of Christian Obumseli. | Source: El Nuevo Herald / Getty

Last month, Hawaii police arrested OnlyFans model Courtney Clenney and charged her with second-degree murder with a deadly weapon for stabbing her boyfriend Christian Toby Obumseli to death in their Florida apartment in April.

Fast-forward to Tuesday, when Clenney — who is claiming she stabbed Obumseli in self-defense — made her first live appearance in Miami-Dade court. Neither she nor her lawyer Frank Prieto likely left the hearing feeling very positive that day as a judge ruled that she won’t restrict the release of evidence in the murder case. That could include content from her OnlyFans account from an online platform associated with pornography.

According to the Miami Herald, Circuit Judge Diana Vizcaino rejected the defenses’ request to restrict the release of evidence that is public record under Florida Law.

From the Herald:

Defense attorneys Frank Prieto and Sabrina Puglisi had asked the judge to limit the release of prosecution evidence in the case, saying it would unfairly taint a future jury. They wanted the judge to review all of the evidence before allowing for its release. In Florida, much of the prosecution evidence is generally public record, except for certain items such as autopsy photos or confessions.

They’ve also signaled they are worried that “adult” photos and videos — OnlyFans is known for creators posting explicit content — might be part of the state’s file. Prieto, during Tuesday’s hearing, said release of graphic media obtained by investigators would make a “circus of media outlets publishing salacious material that has nothing to do with guilt or innocence in this case.”

The State Attorney’s Office wasn’t the only office to argue against the defenses’ request. In fact, the Miami-Herald itself apparently has a stake in the case.

“The law requires evidence that access to these public records will deprive the defendant of a fair and impartial trial,” Miami Herald attorney Scott Ponce said after the hearing. “The judge ruled there is no such evidence. In a county of 2.7 million people, it’s hard to show that a fair and impartial jury cannot be selected.”

Of course, Prieto had a bone to pick with the media outlet—and probably all media outlets if we’re being honest.

“That’s the motivation here for the Miami Herald to intervene,” he said. “They need clicks.”

Prieto also took aim at State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle for releasing a video that showed Clenney attacking Obumseli in an elevator just weeks before the alleged murder. He complained prosecutors “mobilized the media and used them as a tool” and that what was seen in the video was misleading.

It’s unclear what Prieto finds “misleading” about a video that clearly shows Clenney laying hands on Obumseli while definitely not defending herself. It’s almost as if the problem is that he’s been trying to paint the stabbing victim as the violent aggressor in their toxic relationship and his client as the demur damsel in perpetual distress—and that video simply doesn’t help his cause. 

Anyway, Prosecutor Khalil Quinan wasn’t having it and he pointed out that it’s Prieto who can’t seem to stop making statements to the media about everything his totally innocent client is going through, including being arrested while in rehab.

“It was Mr. Prieto who informed the press—and the state—of Ms. Clenney’s arrest,” Quinan said. “He was the entity who made it known.”

Yeah, you can’t be out here claiming the big, bad media is causing a spectacle when you’ve spent months attempting to use the media to take hold of the narrative.

By the way, according to CBS News, Vizcaino’s ruling also allows for that elevator footage to be used in court.

So, yeah—not a good day for the defense. 

SEE ALSO:

Family Of Christian Obumseli Wants Courtney Clenney To Serve Life In Prison For His Murder

Attorney For White IG Model Who Stabbed Black Boyfriend To Death Called Her Non-Arrest ‘Justice’

The post Courtney Clenney’s ‘Graphic’ OnlyFans Videos May Be Used Against Her In Christian Obumseli Murder Trial appeared first on NewsOne.

Courtney Clenney’s ‘Graphic’ OnlyFans Videos May Be Used Against Her In Christian Obumseli Murder Trial  was originally published on newsone.com