What was Courtney Clenny's self-defense account of the stabbing?
Courtney Clenny told police that when Christian Obamsele returned to the apartment on April 3rd, 2022, an argument broke out over location-sharing on their phones, and he pinned her against the wall. She said she grabbed a knife and warned him not to come closer — then threw it from about 10 feet away when he charged at her, claiming she was terrified because he had just choked her.
According to her account, she did not stab Clenny directly — she threw the knife across the room in a moment of panic. The timeline is tight: Obamsele had returned to the apartment at around 4:30 PM, and Clenny called 911 at 4:57 PM — meaning the entire confrontation unfolded in roughly 20 minutes. The self-defense framing hinged on the claim that she felt her life was in danger after being choked.
That version of events, however, ran into a critical obstacle at the medical examiner level. The wound found on Obamsele was too deep to be consistent with a knife thrown from 10 feet. That forensic discrepancy became central to the prosecution's case — and is explored in detail in the episode, which you can listen to on Listenly.
"So what authorities are saying is, you said it in your own words. It's kind of tantamount to a confession."
— Dateline NBC, August 6, 2026See also
According to the arrest affidavit, their day began peacefully with Courtney and Christian playing with their dogs. Christian left to pick up sandwiches — and the situation escalated dramatically upon his return.
Courtney Clenny was an OnlyFans model with approximately 2 million Instagram followers who earned an estimated $3 million from OnlyFans during 2020 and 2021, and was in a romantic relationship with Christian Obamsele.