The horrific murder of social media influencer Bianca Devins, 17, made headlines around the world in 2019 when twisted killer Brandon Clark shared images of her corpse online. Tonight, a Channel 4 documentary airs an interview with the depraved killer
It was a murder case that shocked and disgusted the world when Bianca Devins was horrifically killed by her 'jealous and obsessed' friend Brandon Clark, who slit her throat and posted pictures of her corpse online. Social media influencer Bianca was just 17 years old when twisted Clark took her life in 2019 and bragged about it to her devastated family, friends and fans.
Three years later, Clark was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 25 years to life, and now he is currently being held at Attica Prison in New York. Tonight, a new Channel 4 documentary, titled Interview with a Killer, sees radio and television presenter Yinka Bokinni speak face-to-face with Clark at the maximum security prison where he is being detained.
Bianca's mother, Kim Devins, has spoken out about her distaste for the true-crime doc, as she believes in focusing 'on the victims, not the perpetrators' and does not agree with giving Clark a platform to speak. In an interview with Rolling Stone this week, Kim said: "Our family doesn't want to give him the attention that he wanted", noting that the doc would cause 'immense emotional distress' to Bianca's loved ones. Despite her detest, the programme will air as planned at 10pm tonight, reportedly aiming to raise awareness of the horrific reality of violence against women.
In 2019, Bianca was living with her mum and younger sister Olivia in Utica, New York, and had just graduated from high school. She was about to go to college to study psychology and had built up a small community online. She was open about previously struggling with anxiety and depression, and would speak to followers about their own experiences. Clark was one of these fans. The 21-year-old, who came from a broken home, had messaged her that April and they struck up a friendship. While Bianca only saw him as a friend, it's believed that Clark wanted more.
On 14 July, Clark and Bianca travelled to a gig by Canadian singer Nicole Dollanganger in Queens. Bianca had arranged to meet someone else there - a guy called Alex - and during the event, Clark saw them kissing. Clark was driving Bianca home afterwards when she fell asleep in the car. It's believed the pair got into an argument about the kiss and Clark fatally attacked her with a knife. He disturbingly slit her throat and recorded footage on his phone, uploading it to a messenger app called Discord, where it was actively shared across the internet.
The next morning, the police started to get calls reporting that there were grisly pictures of a dead body going viral online, accompanied by messages such as, 'I'm sorry, Bianca'. There were also 911 calls from Clark's family saying he had made some disturbing claims - then a call from Clark himself. "My name is Brandon," he said. "The victim is Bianca Michelle Devins. I'm not going to stay on the phone for long, because I still need to do the suicide part of the murder-suicide." Officers rushed to a dead-end road in woodland in Utica, where they found Clark and his SUV.
Bianca's body was lying under green tarpaulin and Clark reportedly flung himself next to her, taking a selfie before cutting his own throat with a knife. He was rushed to hospital, where he survived his injuries. A day later, he was charged with Bianca's murder. At first, Clark pleaded not guilty, then in February 2020, he changed his plea to guilty. He later tried to withdraw the plea, claiming his legal team had misled him. The request was denied.
Finally, in March 2021, Clark was sentenced for his heinous crimes. Making a statement in court, the killer said: "I think I need to realise what I did I can't undo, as much as I want to. I apologise to all the people that knew and loved her. I apologise to everybody affected by this, to everybody who had to see that horrific picture of her. I know sorry is not enough, and it won't take back what I did. I wish I had more to give."
Bianca's sister Olivia, then 17, talked about the constant nightmares she suffered and how she had to delete all of her social media accounts. "Many random people set their profile pictures as my sister's death photo and went on my page knowing I would, without a doubt, see it," she said. "I have to live the rest of my life knowing I had to say goodbye to my sister in a funeral home and I don't even know if she heard me."
Her mum Kim begged the judge to imprison Clark for the rest of his life so he couldn't cause harm to anyone else. "With the death of your child comes the most unimaginable, indescribable pain," she said. "A pain that time cannot heal and only seems to worsen. Life without Bianca will never be the same, our family will never again be complete." Kim has since campaigned to hold social media companies to account for proliferating images and footage of her daughter's death, in the hopes of changing things for others in the future. In an interview with The Independent earlier this year, she said: "I'm a fighter. I just had this advocacy instinct. This can't happen to another family."
- Interview with a Killer airs on Channel 4 at 10pm tonight.
