Murder of Bianca Devins

It is believed that Bianca Michelle Devins[1] and Brandon Andrew Clark (October 6, 1997),[2][3] met on Instagram in April 2019 and kept in communication through the platform.[4][5] They later met in person, with Clark attending her high school graduation party. They were on friendly terms, although Devins was aware Clark "wanted more".[6] At times, he referred to himself as Devins' boyfriend despite her saying otherwise.[1][lower-alpha 1] Described as a "close and trusted family friend" by one of her sisters, the exact nature of Clark and Devins' relationship was a topic she and her mother, Kim Devins, had discussed previously.[6][8] Police described their relationship as a "personally intimate one" while friends and family claim they were not romantically involved.[9][10]

Investigations into Clark's internet history suggested the possibility he was obsessed with Devins. He searched her name and frequently checked her social media platforms and saved photos of her. He repeatedly sent annoying messages to her. There is no evidence Clark was abusive, although one of Devins' sisters alleged that because of his age - Clark was 21, Devins was 17, his gender and "his outright inclination towards violence", he held power over Devins.[1][6][11] One of Devins' friends suggested he may have taken advantage of her sexually while they were high on drugs, which her friends said Clark would give her sometimes so she would spend time with him.[8]

Clark grew up in an unstable household where his father repeatedly abused his mother. When Clark was ten years old, his father held his mother at knifepoint for several hours leading to him being placed in state foster care. When she met him, Bianca's mother described him as "charming" and "polite". Conversely, a childhood friend described him as obsessive, noting his fixations with Pokemon and lolicon.[1]

Devins graduated from high school in February 2019 and, at the time of her death, was enrolled at Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica to study psychology.[1][12] She struggled with mental illness, in the form of depression, anxiety, borderline personality disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.[13] Her isolation, a result of her mental illness, led in her seeking refuge in online communities, such as those on Discord and 4chan.[4][14] Devins relationship with her father was strained, and her mother referred to him as "emotionally abusive". From 2015 onward, he had little contact with Devins. Her friends often expressed concern for her mental state. She once confided to a mental-health counselor she had fantasized about injuring herself by jumping off a roof.[1] According to The Post-Standard, a Syracuse newspaper, Devins had been dealing with online harassment by incels for at least two years.[15]

A vigil for Devins was held on July 15 and her funeral took place on July 19.[4][27] On February 14, 2020, a fashion and art show displaying her work was held.[28] Utica City School District Superintendent Bruce Karamm released a statement calling Devin's death "tragic and untimely", expressed his "deepest heartfelt condolences with her family and loved ones" and announced counseling sessions for students that week.[22] The Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium was lit up in honour of Devins.[29] Frank Williams, Devins’ grandfather, thanked the Utica community for their support.[30]

The images of Devins' became widely shared on social media such as Instagram and Twitter.[31] In response, Instagram and Facebook removed Clark's account and attempted to stop the photos' spread.[2][19] Facebook added images of the murder to a digital fingerprint database to prevent further distribution and blacklisted the hashtag #yesjuliet, while the Discord server that shared the corpse photo was shut down.[2] Dr. James Densley, a professor of criminal justice in Minnesota, said that the images could cause trauma in those who viewed them.[4] Devins' family learned of her death through the images being sent to them. Her stepfather—who suffered the most harassment—reported having flashbacks.[13][14]

After their initial posting, the photos gained traction on the website 4chan with hundreds of posts where users praised Clark for committing "another 4chan murder".[4][32] Devins previous use of 4chan and "e-girl" image became a source of mockery for 4chan users.[31] Users on Incel.co and 8chan also celebrated the murder.[29][33] Clark shot a video before and during Devins' murder. There were false claims he uploaded it to the internet in the hours following her death.[34]

The initial online discovery was clouded by misinformation,[4] including tweets from prominent Twitter users—one of which was shared over 16,000 times—falsely identifying Clark as an incel.[32][lower-alpha 4] Rumors spread saying that Clark had stalked her and that Devins was asexual. Her family debunked the rumor she was addicted to hard drugs which she supported by selling nudes.[1][19][35][lower-alpha 5] Theories that Devins' death resulted from internet harassment and speculation over Clark's motives and their relationship were posted.[24][32][37] YouTube videos and Twitter and Reddit threads dedicated to explaining the crime and Devins' history also appeared.[17] Managing editor of Human Events, Ian Miles Cheong, reported on the murder and posted screenshots of text message Clark allegedly sent to Devins.[38]

Clark was often portrayed as Devin's lonely, obsessed stalker, who tracked her down at a concert and then killed her after she declined his sexual advances.[16] #RIPBianca was used to express support, and to discuss the murder's relation to similar stories and women's fear of rejecting men. A hashtag of her name was used to combat the photos of her being shared.[11][16][39] #RIPBianca briefly trended on Twitter.[4] Accounts promising to post images of Devins’ murder in exchange for likes and follows, and illegitimate fund-raising sites sprang up to capitalize on her name and death.[39]

Law enforcement, Nicole Dollanganger and Devin's stepmother, Kaleigh Nicole Rimmer,[8] asked that people stop sharing the photos.[31][17] Users who attempted to report them on Instagram found that they often evaded detection and sometimes were not considered violations of community guidelines, although a spokesperson for Instagram refuted this. Instagram's and other sites' slow response to the photos virality was strongly criticized.[31] It was reported that some images stayed on Instagram for as long as four days and Kim claimed that by September the images could still found on Facebook.[8][13] Prosecutors in the trial, claimed that the images could still be found months later.[40] Hany Farid, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, whose research focuses on digital forensics and image analysis, claimed that Instagram and other companies had the tools to deal with the spread and that their inaction bordered on the criminal, despite a strictly legal perspective saying otherwise.[13]

By July 15, the story had reached the mainstream and was subsequently reported around the world.[4][18] Initial reports of Devins' murder falsely described her as an "Instagram celebrity", despite having only 2,000 followers. She did, however, have a reputation on 4chan's /r9k/ board.[1][lower-alpha 6] Clark was similarly falsely described. Reports regarding Clark's motive were conflicted and misconceptions like Devins being decapitated were also reported.[11][35] Many media outlets used the murder to decry the dangers of meeting people online, a narrative which Kim strongly criticized.[1]

Elizabeth Doran of Syracuse noted the case was more closely related to "the well-worn story...of abusive male partners".[14] Melissa Jeltsen of HuffPost recalled that in the immediate aftermath of Devins' death, "Everyone wanted [it] to mean something."[8] Queenie Wong of CNET described the murder and the subsequent events as "the latest example of the challenge social networks face in combating violent images and videos on their platforms". Densley said the images exposed the "weird incentive structures" in modern social media and lamented how Devins lives in "sort of perpetual infamy online every time her image is shared".[4] The internet's connection in the murder has been noted by many.[29]

The crime has been discussed as a case of domestic violence against women caused by toxic masculinity.[8][33] Hope not Hate said that her death was a "reminder that “fringe” online misogyny is not an isolated, distant phenomenon."[29] Cindy Southworth, executive vice president at the U.S. National Network to End Domestic Violence saw misogyny as a factor in Devins' killing.[37] Evelyn Douek of Harvard University drew parallels between the sharing of photos of Devins to the sharing of videos related to the Christchurch shooting, although she acknowledged that Devins' murder was different because it attracted far less media and public attention.[41] Others have drawn similar conclusions with it being noted that before men repeated the meme 'subscribe to Pewdiepie' following the events.[5][39]

Clark's actions following Devins' death have been interpreted as a demonstration of control.[6][8][33] Utica Police Sgt. Michael Curley believed Clark desired to "generate attention and generate fame for himself".[33] LeMoyne Director of Criminology Alison Marganski said that Clark's behavior fits the profile of other violent male offenders and speculated that he felt emasculated and wanted to show his strength.[42]