March 6, 2025, Miami --The lead prosecutor in the Courtney Clenney murder trial withdrew after a judge ruled he could be deposed over texts and emails that he obtained and that the court ruled were covered by attorney-client privilege.
The Miami-Dade Assistant State Attorney Khalil Quinan said even though he found "material errors of fact" in the court's decision to allow the deposition, he was left with no choice but to withdraw because if deposed, he would become a witness. In the memo, Quinan said he planned to withdraw from the case earlier for paternity leave, but stayed, in part, because of constant "attacks" by the defense counsel.
"It is my hope that my withdrawal will facilitate the resolution of the Defendant's meritless motions, correct the record, and allow these proceedings to refocus on what truly matters: justice for Christian Obumseli," Quinan wrote.
Quinan will be replaced by Miami-Dade Assistant State Attorney Shawn Abuhoff, the original lead prosecutor when Clenney was charged with the stabbing death of her boyfriend, Christian Obumseli, in their bayfront Miami high-rise in August 2022. Abuhoff is keenly aware of the case, having led it earlier and covered it repeatedly for Quinan during the past few months.
In June, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Laura Shearon Cruz said the state violated attorney-client privilege when prosecutors collected texts and emails between Clenney's parents, Deborah Lyn Clenney and Kim DeWayne Clenney, and their attorneys - even if prosecutors weren't aware at the time that the model's parents had hired legal representation.
Clenney, 28, and her parents had been charged in a computer-hacking scheme that the state said it uncovered through communications that it obtained with the court's permission. Those charges were dropped. Among the items collected by prosecutors - through texts and an email - were an outline of the defense team's plans on how it intended to defend Courtney Clenney.
Quinan told the court he viewed the material. Shearon Cruz ruled at the end of February that the prosecutor could be deposed, but that questions would be limited to "receipt and knowledge of privileged documents."
Clenney - an OnlyFans model who had more than 2 million followers - has been jailed since August 2022 after being charged with stabbing Obumseli, 27, to death inside their bayfront Miami condo during a moment of rage. The jet-setting couple, who spent time in Hawaii and other exotic locales, had a tumultuous relationship.
Her attorneys say Clenney was defending herself when Obumseli was killed. A trial date has not been set.