In response, some social media users led a grassroots effort to replace the death photos with messages of hope. Provided by the Devins family. Before the judge read his sentence, Clark gave a statement: BRANDON CLARK: I hate myself for what I did. The Devins family still receives graphic photos of Bianca's murder. One orbiter who captured Bianca's attention was a 21-year-old Lyft driver named Brandon Clark, whom she met on Instagram in May 2019. Direct messages from Bianca's Discord account reveal she had invited a new friend named Alex and was concerned Clark might get jealous. Clark did multiple internet searches some the day before the murder researching ways to kill. Now, tragically, #ripbianca. But on social media, the graphic images posted on Instagram by the suspect began to spread quickly. We are taking substantive action on the federal level to bring the Devins's peace and ensure this never happens to another family again. (Instagram) The teen was identified as Bianca Devins . Im sorry to all the family and friends who wanted me to achieve. Overnight investigators had conducted a forensic analysis of Brandon Clark's cell phone and found something terrifying. 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Other photos appeared to show a body under a . Kim Devins: No. They left the venue and proceeded back to Utica sometime after 10:00PM. Her throat had also been slit. She says shes shocked by how easy it has been to find the images. Elizabeth: Honestly, nothing notable. Prosecutor Michael Nolan: [pointing to the list]: Set up speaker, and Last song? The Oneida District Attorney's office used the video and images to secure a guilty plea from Clark last year.. Bryan Coromato: We were fighting against time. Prosecutor Sarah DeMellier: What we see from there is the beginning of the homicide where Brandon reaches into the back. So, no matter what she [Bianca] said, she was gonna wind up dead that night. Once this occurred, it was learned that a young female had suffered extensive injuries to her neck, and was obviously deceased. After Clark serves 25 years in prison, he could be eligible for parole; he will be in his late 40s. We needed to find her, and we needed to find her fast. Just before dawn, as they headed back to Utica, Clark made an ominous post on social media. OFFICER [bodycam video]: Can you try to get a hold of your daughter? As paramedics raced to save Clark's life, investigators made a grim discovery: the body of a young woman hidden beneath a tarp. He collects from the back seat a knife, indicating to us that's something he came prepared with. We just have to find her and we're going to get her help and she's going to be OK. As Bianca's family awaited news of her safety, police dispatch received a call. I have a brother the same age as Bianca and I know how devastated I would feel if this was happening to me. Prosecutor Sarah DeMellier: And she basically says, "Are you ready to take me home yet?" Please join us tomorrow night for a candle light vigil in honor of Bianca! Jul 15, 2019 Putting this here to clear up some misinformation. Some are even begging whoever is controlling Devins account to disable it, or urging her followers to report the account and have it removed. Such cynical death profiteers notwithstanding, many have criticized Instagram and other social media platforms for being slow to take down the photos, with some saying that they reported the images only for Instagram to tell them that it did not violate community guidelines. Justice would be Bianca being alive. 5 following. Bianca Devins . Devins was murdered between 5:47 am and 6:40 am. Police said in a statement, On Sunday, July 14, 2019 at approximately 7:20AM Oneida County Dispatch received numerous calls informing them that a male individual had posted to a social media site that he had killed his girlfriend, and was threatening to harm himself. Bianca was described as an outgoing and happy child in her earlier years, although, she did start seeing therapists at the age of 9, due to separation anxiety. Bianca Devins, surrounded by hearts, in an image she posted on Instagram in May By Kelly-Leigh Cooper BBC News Like many other teenagers her age, Bianca Devins lived her life online. Clark was interviewed by detectives on Monday. He takes his camera, and he clips it to almost one of those vents that would be on the front dash. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time The judge denied Brandon Clark's request to withdraw his guilty plea. It was just nonstop harassment. The police didn't show Bianca's mother Kim the photo, but said they feared her daughter might be in danger. Biancas smile brightened our lives. Thank you for being the best sister I could ever imagine. By Jessica Schladebeck. Where is she!? This request infuriated the Devins family, who had already been through so much. And there was this glow in her eyes when she talked about going to college and what she was going to do with her life. Jericka Duncan: At what point did you realize she needed help? Brandon Clark and Bianca Devins at Bianca's high school graduation party. Bianca Devins was a 17-year-old Proctor High School graduate and social media influencer whose Instagram account had more than 70,000 followers. The victim is Bianca Michelle Devins. I just thought of how embarrassed she would be, how heartbroken she would be. Even as investigators questioned what had happened after that and where nothing could have prepared them for what they would soon uncover. Before hanging up, Clark told the dispatcher where they could find him: a dead-end road not far from Bianca's home. BRANDON CLARK: I did not go to law school. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time Steven Crimando: Incels believe that they don't have any chance with Stacys at all. He then took a selfie and posted it to social media with the caption "Ashes to ashes.". That's what our job is. That's the thing. LUKE NEBUSH: I went to the Oneida County jail 15 times prior to his plea. All Rights reserved. I will FORVER have those images in my mind when I think of her. She was young and beautiful and so full of live. Kim Devins: He found out that there were media and production companies interested in Bianca's story and he wanted to be able to tell his side. But as Bianca's family grieved, the images of her dead body had spilled from the fringes of the internet into mainstream social media. Elizabeth: You know, those same incel communities that were praising Brandon's actions were saying, oh, I wonder who's going to be next? After attempting to injure himself, he laid down across a green in color tarp that was on the ground some distance away. Det. BRANDON CLARK: No, I'm not going to stay on the line with you. Did you think it was sincere at all? THE killer of YouTuber Bianca Devins allegedly took selfies next to her dead body and shared them online after reportedly filming a video showing the teen being murdered. Police said a sharp object was used in the killing, but did not provide any other details, saying the homicide remains under investigation. Steven Crimando: They're in direct messaging and text messages to the family. @instagram literally reported an account that was posting pictures of #BiancaDevins AFTER she was murdered and this doesnt violate your guidelines??? Incels are individuals men 21 or older who have gone six months or longer without any sort of sexual activity not by their own volition. She had just graduated. Kim Devins: It's horrifying. The horrific images of Bianca's murder that Clark had posted continued to spread on the internet, and a vile campaign of hate was brewing on social media. Bianca's mom said she knew why Clark now wanted to go to trial. The first thing we did, and I think everybody does now as a prosecutor, something you don't know, you Google it. Michael Curley: Certainly nothing prepared us for a homicide on that day. Bianca Devins stepmother wrote on Facebook, Bianca was a lot of things to so many people. In addition to pushing for a new law in Bianca's name, her grandfather, Frank Williams, and mother Kim Devins announced a scholarship in her memory. There doesnt appear to be any exact logic guiding the decision-making process, she says. Police have not commented about the photos posted to social media after the killing. Frank Williams: I just can't understand why people would want to see it. She was getting better. There were moments where I probably spent 2. Kim Devins: I just kept screaming, "it's not her. How a tragic boating crash is connected to the family of Alex Murdaugh, Husband of woman murdered with an ax convicted 40 years after her death, Five deaths with a connection to Alex Murdaugh's family investigated, The Brighton ax murder: A timeline of the 40-year-old cold case. Investigators learned that after Clark and Bianca left the concert, she texted Alex to say, " I think he saw me kiss you.". Police said Clark then called 911 on himself and made incriminating statements with respect to the homicide. The street terminates into a wooded area where the first arriving officer located a black SUV with a male lying on the ground beside it. She encouraged people to not post the photos online out of respect to Biancas family. Well, its not online anymore. You will always remain in our hearts,we love you enormously and we will never forget you.This account is in her memory. She had at least two active Instagram profiles, under the names beegtfo and escty. I didn't know where Bianca was. The man responsible for the gruesome death of Utica teenager Bianca Devins has been sentenced to 25 years-to-life in prison. Though Clark did not identify as an incel, he was celebrated by this dark community for what he did to Bianca. Instead of repeatedly sharing and it saving these sick pictures, you report them so they can be taken down. . EJ Dickson: She also had an active presence on 4chan, which is sort of on the darker side of the web I'd go on record to say 4chan is a dangerous place and it's also just an incredibly, incredibly misogynistic space. Russett says there are steps that Instagram could potentially take to at least make it more difficult for people to do this, such as disabling Devins Instagram page from being tagged in other photos and videos. The brutal death of 17-year-old Bianca Devins, a Utica, New York teenager and aspiring influencer who was allegedly murdered by a jealous male friend on her way home from a concert, shattered. Bryan Coromato: July 14, 2019, it was a beautiful day in Utica. A viral murder Bianca Devins was killed in July 2019 by Clark, 21, who stabbed the teenager in his car as they were driving home from a concert in Queens, a borough of New York City. More evidence, investigators say, that this was not a crime of passion. There were moments where I spent 4 or 5 hours with him. But Bianca's behavior was growing increasingly erratic. 26-Year-Old Woman Murdered During Her Lunch Break. Disgusted. Kim Devins: I was 10 minutes away. Roald Dahl's Children's Books to Be Republished With Classic Text Alongside Edited Versions, But given how shrouded in secrecy Instagrams algorithm is, its difficult to know exactly how it is monitoring such content, though its clear that whatever its doing, users are finding a way around it to post the gruesome image, over and over and over again. Bianca, age 17, was a talented artist, a loving sister, daughter, and cousin, and a wonderful young girl, taken from us all too soon. In this case, a lot of it is background on both individuals. Its an endless game of Whack-a-Mole that has spawned a small cottage industry of de facto social media censors grabbing mallets, trying to report each new account as it pops up, only to see five more come up in its place. First published on September 18, 2021 / 11:02 PM. Clark, 21, also took selfies next to Devin's dead body and shared them online. They were sent to various family members that were close to Bianca. Two weeks after the murder, Bianca's family and friends packed the courtroom wearing pink her favorite color as they waited for Brandon Clark to make his first public appearance. Other officers arrived within moments, and together they engaged the male. Bianca graduated from T. R. Proctor High School this past June and was looking forward to attending MVCC (Mohawk Valley Community College) in the fall., Brandon Clark: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. It's like 6 in the morning and I am currently editing this, but I just wanted to let you know that I am so funny. How about we have some fucking consideration for her Mother, Sister, Step sisters and brother, Step Mother and Step Father, her Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Nieces and Newphews and her friends. We got a call from one of the parents that was concerned about some things that were occurring in the relationship at this point, Utica Police Lieutenant Bryan Coromato told WKTV. Photo: @escty. Bianca immersed herself in her art and was even getting noticed as a promising young model. We needed to find her to make sure to see if she was all right. August 13, 2022 / 10:59 PM Clarks attorney, a local public defender, has declined to comment. FRANK WILLIAMS: Brandon, for the cruel manner in which you took my granddaughter's life, for the total disregard you had for a human life; for the callous act in which you posted pictures of her murdered body on social media to gratify your own selfish purposes, you, Brandon, deserve to spend the rest of your life in prison. The fact that her suspected killer, 21-year-old Brandon Clark who was charged with second degree murder took photos of Devins dead body and posted them on Instagram and Discord, made her death all the more horrific, as did the fact that both Clarks account and the images of her dead body were viewable for hours after they were initially posted. And we get a call from the police department. Jericka Duncan: How was her mood when she left? She will always be remembered as our Princess. BIANCA DEVINS [cell phone video]: Hi. They're of a lovely, beautiful girl whose life was taken from her in a cruel way. Det. In 2014, a 22-year-old self-identified incel went on a deadly rampage in Isla Vista, California, killing six people. Bianca texted her mother after the concert to say she was heading home. She was a such fighter and accomplished what she needed to. And she says, "Yeah" and "I'm sorry." Kim Devins: Bianca was very smart. Prosecutors Sarah DeMellier and Michael Nolan would lead the investigation for the Oneida County District Attorney's Office and began with a cryptic message Clark spray-painted at the scene: "May you never forget me.". I know Bianca's mum and it is breaking her heart that these images are still avilable online. An up and coming instagram influencer named Bianca Devins goes to a concert with her male friend Brandon Clark and a potential hook up. Bianca Devins was killed by 21-year-old Brandon Clark. Last spring, for instance, Instagrams parent company Facebook and YouTube were criticized for failing to quickly delete uploaded and livestreamed footage of the New Zealand mosque shooting, which killed 49 people. I hate knowing youre not going to ever come back home. It is absolutely disgusting that people are sharing, screenshoting the pictures of Biancas (tragic) death!! Kim Devins: They were sent to me. Bianca's Law is a bill that would hold social media companies accountable for violent and graphic content that they allow on their platforms. How about we have some fucking consideration for her Mother, Sister, Step sisters and brother, Step Mother and Step Father, her Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Nieces and Nephews and her friends. Your prayers help to strengthen us through this difficult time. Instagram is scrambling to contain the photos of slain teen Bianca Devins as accounts crop up to share photos of her decapitated body. Take your punishment. An Instagram page with photos of Devins is still active and currently has over 60,000 . Kim Devins: He said he wanted to spare us from having to see the details of Bianca's murder. It's heartbreaking. Prosecutor Sarah DeMellier: We believe that when this relationship came to an end was when he was going to kill her. Bianca Devins' alleged killer is a 21-year-old micro-influencer named Brandon Andrew Clark, . I I wish I could apologize to her and just apologize and apologize and take it back but [looks down shaking his head]. BRANDON CLARK: He knew that I was a first-time offender and had no knowledge of the legal system, knowledge about court proceedings. And on March 16, 2021, nearly two years after Bianca was murdered, he was finally brought in to be sentenced. During her lifetime, incels harassed her online. He then, according to authorities, took photos of her dead body, posting a. Making matters worse, the images were sent to her family.. Jericka Duncan: He has his gun pointed at him. And he wasn't gonna let anybody have her. . 673 followers. It just didn't make sense that he would have hurt her. It seems like all of the reported posts are eventually taken down. THIS is how Bianca should be remembered!! He photographed Devins' body and posted images to Discord, an online platform for sharing texts, photos and video. This photo is from before her death. Frank Williams: So, we looked at that as a start for a series of laws and policies that would prevent death photos like Bianca's from being put on social media. Det. Officers and investigators needed to verify the condition of the female underneath the tarp, and as such, it was pulled back. She wanted to continue her schooling so that she could help people, like her, whom no one else wanted to help. But stills and clips still spread, cropping up all over social media, sometimes used as profile photos. 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