Former OnlyFans model Courtney Clenney has been sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter over the 2022 killing of her boyfriend, Nigerian-born Christian Obumseli, in Miami, Florida.
Clenney, 30, entered a guilty plea on Monday to manslaughter with a deadly weapon under a plea agreement that brings to a close a criminal case that attracted widespread attention for more than four years.
In addition to her prison sentence, she was handed five years of probation to serve after her release.
Reports by CBS News and Fox News said Clenney will be credited for the nearly four years she has already spent in custody following her arrest in August 2022. She is therefore expected to spend roughly two additional years behind bars before starting her probation.
Obumseli, 27, died after being stabbed on April 3, 2022, inside the Miami apartment he shared with Clenney.
Clenney was originally facing a second-degree murder charge and had consistently claimed that she stabbed Obumseli in self-defence during a confrontation.
Her defence team maintained that Obumseli had been abusive and that Clenney threw a knife at him as she attempted to protect herself.
Prosecutors, on the other hand, presented evidence pointing to a volatile relationship marked by repeated domestic disputes.
As part of the plea deal, prosecutors dropped the original murder charge and replaced it with manslaughter with a deadly weapon.
Miami-Dade prosecutor Shawn Abuhoff told the court that Clenney was acknowledging responsibility for what happened.
“She is taking criminal responsibility for her action, the state is willing to accept her plea,” Abuhoff said.
The terms of the sentence also require Clenney to undergo mental health and substance abuse assessments and receive treatment following her release.
Prosecutors also stated that she would be barred from making money from the case.
Members of Obumseli’s family spoke during the sentencing and described the continuing emotional impact of his death.
His mother, Ocio Obumseli, told the court that the family had been dealing with the loss of Christian ever since his death.
“The loss of Christian did not end April 4; we carry it with us every day,” she said.
She added, “Christian, your legacy and your memory will remain with us. We miss you, we love you; may you continue to rest in peace, my son.”
The family’s lawyer, Larry Handfield, said the guilty plea offered the family a degree of closure, noting that they wanted Clenney to acknowledge responsibility for Obumseli’s death.
“What the family wanted was accountability,” Handfield said.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle similarly said the agreement gave Obumseli’s relatives the opportunity to hear Clenney accept responsibility for his death.
According to People, the plea deal was reached with the consultation and approval of Obumseli’s family.
The case attracted significant public interest due to the couple’s relationship and the differing accounts surrounding the events that resulted in Obumseli’s death.
Clenney, who was also known online as Courtney Tailor, had amassed a substantial social media following before her arrest.
Her guilty plea brings the criminal proceedings to an end without the second-degree murder trial that had been anticipated. She will serve the remaining portion of her six-year prison term before completing five years of probation.