The Tragic Story of Bianca Michelle Devins: A Life Cut Short

Bianca Michelle Devins, born on October 2, 2001, was a young American teenager from Utica, New York. Tragically, her life was cut short on July 14, 2019, when she was murdered by Brandon Andrew Clark, a male acquaintance.

The Background

Bianca Michelle Devins, who was 17 years old at the time of her passing, faced mental health challenges, including depression, anxiety, borderline personality disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Her loved ones were deeply concerned about her well-being, as she had been receiving mental health treatment and had frequent hospital visits throughout her teenage years. Coping with feelings of isolation, Bianca sought solace in online communities. This was were she met Brandon Andrew Clark.

It is believed that Clark and Devins first met on Instagram in April 2019, with Clark initiating the connection by following her on the popular social media platform.

Devins told her mother that she had explained to Clark that she did not want to date him, though Devins' mother thought that he still "wanted more."

The Relationship Turns Into Murder

After attending a concert by Canadian singer Nicole Dollanganger in New York City on July 13, 2019, Devins, Clark, and their mutual friend Alex headed back to Utica.

Unfortunately, an argument broke out between Clark and Devins, likely triggered by a kiss between Devins and Alex. The situation escalated, leading Clark to physically attack Devins. He used a knife to cut deep into her neck.

After Devins' death, Clark called numerous family members. His call resembled a s-uicide note, prompting his family to call 9-1-1.He posted photographs of Devins' body to a Discord server, accompanied by the caption: "sorry fuckers, you're going to have to find somebody else to orbit. "Orbiting is the act of following a person online, requesting pictures from other users, and in some cases stalking."

By 7:00 AM, Discord users had notified the police, who received "numerous" calls, including one from Clark, and made contact with Devins' family. In his call to the dispatcher, Clark said:

"My name is Brandon, the victim is Bianca Michelle Devins. I'm not going to stay on the phone for long, because I still need to do the s-uicide part of the murder-suici-de."

When law enforcement arrived at the scene, Clark inflicted a stab wound to his own neck, but he survived.

The following day, law enforcement officially confirmed the victim's identity as Devins and proceeded to charge Clark with second-degree murder.

Devins' Death and Social Media

The photographs of Devins' lifeless body quickly spread across various social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, garnering widespread attention.

According to Dr. James Densley, a professor of criminal justice, the images had the potential to inflict emotional trauma on those who saw them. Devins' stepfather, who was subjected to significant harassment, reported experiencing flashbacks as a result. Devins' sister, Olivia, also shared similar accounts of the distressing impact caused by the images.

Sentencing

On July 29, 2019, Clark entered a plea of not guilty to the charge of second-degree murder.

On February 10, 2020, prior to his trial, Clark altered his plea to guilty. However, his sentencing, which was initially set for April 7, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On June 2, Clark submitted a notice to retract his guilty plea, alleging inadequate representation by his lawyer. However, his request was denied since he had previously admitted his guilt.

The hearing occurred on September 30, and a written decision was prepared on October 30. Subsequently, on March 16, 2021, Clark received a sentence of 25 years to life in prison.

On September 21, 2020, Brindisi and the Devins family proposed a legislation called "Bianca's Law." If enacted, this law would mandate that social media platforms generating more than $10 million in revenue and having over 100,000 monthly users establish a dedicated office responsible for identifying and promptly removing violent content that violates the platform's moderation guidelines.

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Murder of Bianca Devins

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