“The preliminary investigation determined that both Mr. Obumseli and the female had been involved in a physical altercation,” police said in the statement, which refers to the attack as a “domestic violence incident.”
Clenney’s attorney, Frank Pieto, identified his client as the unnamed woman to local media outlets, but asserts that she did not commit a crime because she was a victim of domestic violence acting out of self-defense. “This is a tragedy for all involved but it was not criminal conduct,“he toldThe Miami Herald. “Courtney was defending herself and the investigation will reveal exactly that.”
Obumseli’s family disagrees.
CBS Miami reports that family members called Obumseli a “soft-spoken man,” saying “the idea that this was warranted is unthinkable.”
Clenney had been dating Obumseli for about two years, during which time the couple relocated from Texas to Miami and “had their ups and downs,” Prieto told theHerald. A week before the stabbing, Clenney reportedly kicked Obumseli out of her apartment over domestic abuse allegations, according to Prieto.
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In the aftermath of the fatal stabbing, Prieto says he and the detectives chose to have Clenney, who is 25, “Baker Acted,” meaning they admitted her to a mental health facility for treatment.
“As Courtney struggles with the pain of being a survivor of domestic violence and the aftermath of the events that evening, we ask that the community and Christian’s family allow the police and the state to conduct their independent investigation of the events,” he told theHerald.
Miami police have yet to reveal what they’ve learned during their investigation, or whether they plan to request criminal charges against Clenney.
In the meantime, Obumseli’s family has established aGoFundMe pageto cover funeral costs and attorney fees.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at1-800-799-7233, or go tothehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
