The murder of social media star Bianca Devins shook the world, and the impact could be felt well beyond her own private circles with the hashtags #RIPBianca and #BiancaDevinsRIP trending for days on major websites.
And now, authorities have finally identified a good lead for a suspect in the case, and have officially charged a man named Brandon Andrew Clark with second-degree murder.
The 21-year-old man had reportedly cut the teenager’s throat and then posted a photo of her lifeless body on Instagram.
The image received some attention before being deleted around a day later, in an incident that drew serious criticism to the social media platform for its inability to react in time.
If the alleged killer is successfully convicted of the crime, he faces a sentence of up to 25 years, according to current laws.
He had tried to kill himself upon being challenged by responding officers but failed to do so properly after reportedly slitting his own throat. After doing this, he also took selfies on top of Devins’ body.
The suspect was later taken into custody where he awaited his official charges.
Despite managing to inflict such severe wounds on himself, the man is reportedly likely to survive, according to official reports. With that in mind, he will have to face the full consequences of his actions soon enough.
The shocking nature of what happened sparked a lot of conversations about the murder on social media, with many people condemning the act and calling for justice for the victim.
Others have been critical of the way social media platforms have responded to the case in the first place, with angry critics pointing out that Instagram could have played a major role in the overall scenario. However, this theory is being challenged by others.
Moreover, the gruesome viral photos are still available in some quarters of the social networking channel.
Clark and Devins started dating about two months ago and went to a Queens concert on Saturday. They reportedly had a huge fight while there.
They drove back to Utica and Clark allegedly killed Devins on the side of the road. As for a possible motive behind the senseless act, authorities are looking at jealousy.
Oneida County District Attorney Scott McNamara shared on Tuesday: “The belief is that she kissed somebody at the concert and that is what upset him. I have a very hard time understanding how anybody can justify taking another young person’s life because they kissed somebody else.”
Devins’ family has put out a statement thanking everyone for their support. The 17-year-old high school graduate was planning to attend MVCC in the fall.
