A New York man who slashed teen Instagram star Bianca Devins’ throat before posting gruesome images of her bloody body online has been sentenced to at least 25 years in prison.
By Elizabeth Doran | edoran@syracuse.com
Brandon Clark, 22, was sentenced on Monday after pleading guilty to killing the 17-year-old in Utica, in central New York, back in July 2019.
He will spend between 25 years and life behind bars.
Devins was known among her 170,000 Instagram followers as an e-girl who posted about emo fashion and video games.
She was murdered by Clark after the pair returned to Utica from a concert in New York City the night of July 14, 2019.
After slitting Devins’ throat, Clark posted photos of her bloody body on Instagram and chat app Discord.
He posted one of the photos with the caption: ‘I’m sorry Bianca’.
BREAKING: Brandon Clark, the man who pleaded guilty to murdering 17-year-old Bianca Devins in Utica in 2019, has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. https://t.co/SCSPmJYuiv
— WKTV (@WKTV) March 16, 2021
The gory photos were widely shared online and remained up for almost a day before being removed. Instagram was heavily criticized for not removing the photos sooner.
Police said at the time that Clark had slit the teen’s throat in a jealous rage after seeing her kiss another man at the concert, then posted grisly photos of her bloody body on social media sites.
He then cut his own throat and took a selfie. Clark was charged with second-degree murder in the case, which attracted international attention.
Under law, the maximum punishment will allow Clark, 22, of Cicero, to see a parole board in 25 years; however, he can remain imprisoned for life.
Authorities said the two were friends but not romantically involved.
Devins and Clark had met on Instagram about two months prior, according to police.
Clark was initially scheduled to be sentenced last November but the hearing had to be delayed due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the prison where he was being held.
