A 17-year-old New York girl was found dead outside her car Sunday after her throat was slashed by a man who then attempted to take his own life, police said. The suspect also allegedly posted a photo of her dead body to Instagram.
Law enforcement sources confirmed to Syracuse.com that Brandon Andrew Clark, 21, is accused of slitting Bianca Devins’ throat. Devins was reportedly found dead outside her car in Utica; police said Clark sustained life-threatening injuries after slitting his own throat.
Police also told the news outlet they have verified that Clark posted still images of the slain teen to social media. However, they said a video circulating online, purporting to be related to the apparent murder, has not been authenticated.
Devins reportedly went by @escty on Instagram, where she had nearly 60,000 followers.
The photo, which has been almost completely scrubbed from Twitter and Instagram, reportedly shows Devins dead and covered in blood in an SUV. The website Coed.com claimed to have obtained Sunday’s graphic post on Clark’s since-deleted page, which reportedly included the caption, “I am sorry Bianca.”
The New York Post reports that the pair had attended a concert in Queens before the apparent murder-attempted suicide. WSYR reported that Devins’ body was discovered near the start of the 15K Boilermaker Road Race, delaying the event for 20 minutes.
According to BuzzFeed, Clark posted a photo of Devins’ body on the gamer chat site Discord, writing, “sorry f**kers, you’re going to have to find somebody else to orbit.” A thread on the controversial sub-Reddit r/asktrp — popular with so-called “incels,” or men who are involuntarily celibate — describes a “beta orbiter” as a man who seeks a romantic relationship or sex with a woman, investing time and/or money, but receives neither. “Orbiter” is often used synonymously with someone who is friendzoned.
BuzzFeed reported that Clark continued to update his Instagram feed as police held him at gunpoint. He is also said to have posted a photo of himself with a bleeding neck wound.
Utica police Lieutenant Bryan Coromato went on to tell the Post that Devins and Clark had met through a dating app and had been in a relationship for about two months.
Reports have questioned whether the pair was dating, or ever dated, when Sunday’s slaying occurred. According to Heavy, Devins’ sister wrote on Instagram that Clark wasn’t an “internet boyfriend” but a “family friend” whom they trusted.
A man claiming to be the slaying suspect’s brother recently posted to Instagram in defense of his family, admonishing those who have harassed and blamed them for his brother’s alleged actions. The man explained that he is stationed in Alaska as part of the military and found out about the incident hours earlier.
He wrote, “I’m deeply sorry something like this came from my family and my heart goes out for the family of the victim, but think about when his little sister and brothers find out what a disgusting thing he’s done, and get blamed for it. They’re kids.”
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[Featured image: Brandon Clark/Instagram; Bianca Devins/Instagram]
