On July 14, 2019, Bianca Devins was murdered by Brandon Clark, a 21-year-old man who held a sick fascination with this young woman. Following her death, Clark posted images of her body to social media. The case shows the way in which misogny and toxic online communites can warp someone, and the dehumanizing effects that the modern social media landscape has on innocent people. In the days and weeks following the death of Devins, her murder was exploited online, keeping her from truly resting in peace.
Bianca Devins Had Her Entire Life Ahead of Her
Bianca Devins was, first and foremost, a teenager trying to find her place in the world. At 17, she had just graduated from high school and planned to study psychology at Mohawk Valley Community College. While she struggled with anxiety and depression, she was also deep into the twin worlds of fashion and art. Online, she found a group of friends who helped her cope with the darkness that was in her head.
Meeting Brandon Clark
Brandon Clark, four years older than Bianca, entered her life in 2019. They met online, like so many modern friendships, on Instagram. Some of Bianca’s friends feared he was exploitative—pointing to times when Clark allegedly gave her drugs as a way to spend time together. To Bianca’s loved ones, Clark seemed polite at first, the kind of young man a parent might cautiously trust. But beneath that façade, he was storing jealousy and a need for control that would ultimately erupt in violence.
The Night of the Murder
On July 13, 2019, Bianca, Clark, and a mutual friend drove to New York City to check out a show by the singer Nicole Dollanganger. After the show Bianca and Clark drove back to Utica. Somewhere along the way the two friends got into an argument. Prosecutors believe that their fight started after Clark saw Bianca kissing a young man at the show. As Bianca slept in the backseat, Clark stabbed her repeatedly with a knife that was hidden near the driver’s seat. His attack was so brutal that she was nearly decapitated.
Clark Posted His Crime Online
Instead of hiding what he had done, Clark used the internet as a stage. He took photographs of Bianca’s body and posted them to Instagram and Discord, where she had been active in online communities. The images spread rapidly. By 7 a.m., the internet was internetting. Some Discord users were calling the police, others were sharing them across the web. On Instagram, the photos lingered for hours, even days, despite user reports. Clark himself seemed to revel in the attention, lying across a tarp covering Bianca’s body and posting a final message: “May you never forget me.”
Police Saved Clark’s Life Before Arresting Him
When police arrived in Utica, Clark was still at the scene. He had already called family members in what sounded like a suicide note. To officers, he made incriminating statements, confessing to killing Bianca. Clark stabbed himself in the neck before collapsing near her body. Officers intervened, saving his life and taking him into custody. Investigators quickly found evidence suggesting Clark had planned the attack. A quick persual through Clark’s internet search history showed that he researched how to incapacitate someone, how to find the carotid artery, and how to record a murder. Clark pled guilty to second-degree murder in 2020 and, in 2021, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
Dark Corners of the Internet Hailed Clark As An Incel Hero
To say that the internet’s reaction to Bianca’s death was morbid is an understatement. The hashtag #RIPBianca took off on Twitter, but anyone looking at the deranged corners of the internet like 4chan, Incels.co, and 8chan, saw users celebrated Clark, and framing the murder as another “incel killing.” Strangers circulated the images of Bianca’s body not only to shock but to harass her family. Some even sent the photos directly to her loved ones.
Social Media Companies Under Fire
Even with public outcry reaching a fever pitch, social media companies like Instagram, Facebook, and Discord failed to remove the images of Bianca’s body for days, and in some cases months. Because of a lack of moderation, the photos of Bianca could still be found on Facebook for months after her death. Their slow, uneven response sparked debates about corporate accountability, freedom of speech, and the responsibility tech companies have when their platforms become vehicles for trauma and abuse.
A Family’s Fight for Change
The Devins family tried to move on following Bianca’s death. With the help of Rep. Anthony Brindisi they helped push forward “Bianca’s Law,” a piece of legislation that requires social media companies with more than 100,000 users to hire a team whose specific job is to remove violent and exploitative content. New York State later passed its own version in 2022, making it illegal to share images of victims with the intent to harass or glorify violence. For her mother, Kimberly, the fight was about preventing others from enduring the nightmare her family faced—not just losing Bianca, but watching her memory degraded by the internet.
Remembering Bianca Devins
Despite the horror surrounding her death, Bianca is remembered not for what was done to her, but for who she was. Her family established a scholarship in her name for students pursuing psychology. In Utica, murals and public displays continue to remind the community of Bianca’s presence. For those who loved her, Bianca is not a headline or an internet meme. She was a young woman full of potential—a sister, a daughter, a friend—whose life was stolen but whose legacy continues to inspire change.
The Power of the Internet
Bianca Devins’s murder is more than a tragedy frozen in time; it’s a lens on the intersection of misogyny, mental health, online culture, and corporate responsibility. Her story forces uncomfortable questions about how violence against women is treated—by perpetrators, by the media, and by the platforms that profit from our attention. It shows how online communities can both support and endanger vulnerable young people, and how quickly grief can be weaponized in the form of viral cruelty.
