OnlyFans model Courtney Clenney cut a jarring figure in a Miami courtroom as she faced a key motions hearing in the case accusing her of killing her Nigerian boyfriend, Christian Obumseli. The 29-year-old, charged with second-degree murder in Obumseli’s fatal stabbing inside their luxury apartment, alternated between playful gestures and the grim reality of a looming trial.

Before the hearing began, observers watched as Clenney turned toward the gallery, sticking out her tongue and blowing exaggerated kisses. The behavior contrasted sharply with the seriousness of the proceedings, which will shape what jurors ultimately see and hear when the case goes to trial.

Prosecutors allege Clenney plunged a knife into Obumseli during a violent confrontation, while the defense insists she acted in self-defense after enduring a pattern of abuse. Clenney has even claimed she threw the knife rather than directly stabbing him, a detail that has become a focal point in forensic and expert analysis.

Inside the courtroom, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Andrea Wolfson denied a defense motion to disqualify the state’s psychological expert, Dr. Michael Brannon. Defense attorneys argued that Brannon’s long-ago defamation dispute with their proposed expert, renowned psychologist Dr. Lenore Walker, created an untenable conflict. Brannon had sued Walker more than two decades ago, with the case ending in a settlement that included a mutual non-disparagement agreement.

Walker told the court that Brannon’s presence made her uncomfortable and could compromise her role. Brannon countered that both experts could still participate fairly, saying there was no reason the case could not proceed professionally. Judge Wolfson ultimately sided with the prosecution, keeping Brannon on the witness list and leaving the defense to reassess its expert strategy.

The hearing also produced a crucial ruling on audio recordings made by Obumseli during the couple’s turbulent relationship. The defense argued that many of the recordings, captured without Clenney’s knowledge inside the apartment, were illegal and should never reach a jury. Judge Wolfson agreed in large part, excluding most of the surreptitious audio.

However, the court will allow recordings from the building’s lobby and the apartment balcony, where the judge found there was no reasonable expectation of privacy. Those clips could provide jurors with raw glimpses into the couple’s dynamic in the weeks and months before Obumseli’s death.

With the trial expected to begin in the spring and a status hearing set for March, Clenney’s courtroom demeanor and the evidentiary rulings are already shaping a high-profile case that blends influencer celebrity, intimate-partner violence allegations, and a deadly confrontation still fiercely contested by both sides.