Man accused of killing 17-year-old Bianca Devins and posting photos of her body online pleads not guilty
UTICA, NEW YORK: A New York man, allegedly accused of killing his girlfriend and posting the gruesome pictures on social media, pleaded not guilty to the crime on Monday. The 21-year-old, identified as Brandon Clark, has been arraigned on second-degree murder charges in the death of 17-year-old Bianca Devins.
District Attorney Scott McNamara, in a previously released statement, had said that his office would likely treat the murder as a case of "extreme emotional disturbance" after the investigation's initial results indicated that Clark had not planned Devins' death.
Utica Police, in a press release on July 15, said that Clark and Devins had met on Instagram in the spring and had spent time together. They were also, at some point, "acquainted with each other’s families," according to Syracuse.com.
According to investigators, the pair attended a concert in New York City on July 12 and got into an argument after Devins reportedly kissed another man. When they arrived back in Utica on Sunday morning, the couple drove to a spot on a dead-end street and continued arguing over the issue. It was then when Clark, at some point, allegedly took out a large knife to kill the 17-year-old.
Authorities were alerted about the issue when they began receiving calls reporting the murder after Devins' pictures began appearing on the internet. Police officials were trying to locate Devins when Clark called 911 to report himself. When authorities arrived, they said that Clark was stabbing himself in the neck, causing severe injuries to himself.
The 21-year-old allegedly laid down on a green tarp and took selfies before the officers took him into custody. Officials said that Devins body was located under the green tarp.
The DA, while talking to WKTV, said that "the belief is that she kissed somebody at the concert and that's what upset him," however, McNamara added that he has "a very hard time understanding how anybody can justify taking another young person's life because they kissed somebody else."
Clark's past history revealed that he had gone through similar experience years ago when his father allegedly held his mother hostage at knifepoint for 10 hours during a standoff with police officers and a SWAT team. Jason Clark reportedly threatened to kill his wife because she was cheating on him, court records obtained by the outlet stated.
If Clark is convicted in Devins' case, he faces nearly 25 years of imprisonment.