A central New York man who killed a Utica teen, then shared graphic images of his victim on social media before attempting to take his own life was officially sentenced for his crime on Tuesday.

Brandon Clark was sentenced to 25-years to life, which was expected following his February 2020 guilty plea to second-degree murder in slaying of Bianca Devins on Boilermaker Sunday in 2019. Devins - who had a growing social media following of her own, was just 17-years-old.

Clark called-in his own crime to 911 just minutes before Utica's annual Boilermaker Road Race was set to begin. Due to the crime scene's location to the race course, the run was delayed as police and medical personnel rush to the scene on Poe Street. When they arrived, they found a deceased Devins, along with a bleeding Clark - who had attempted to take his own life as well.

The 23-year-old from Cicero later admitted to the killing, motivated be jealousy after seeing Devins kiss another man at a concert the two attended in New York City the night before, according to prosecutors who described the two as having a relationship, but stopped short of calling them a couple. Oneida County District Attorney Scott McNamara has said in addition to the horrific images of Devins' body that were posted on Instagram, there was also a 15-minute video Clark recorded leading up to and during the teen's murder. McNamara called it the most disturbing thing he's ever seen over his 30-years in office.

The images Clark posted on the internet, and that they were repeatedly shared on social media by many users, prompted former NY-22 Congressman Anthony Brindisi to introduce Bianca's Law, which aimed make social media companies establish an office dedicated to identifying and removing violent content that violates the platform’s content moderation standards. That bill did not gain traction in Washington.

Get our free mobile app

Clark was originally scheduled to be sentenced in April of 2020 but that was delayed several times because of COVID-19. Along the way, Clark also attempted to withdraw his guilty plea, but that was denied by the court.

Devins' family started a memorial scholarship fund to honor Bianca and awarded it's first scholarship to a local student in October.

------------------------

20 Sure Signs Spring is Near in CNY

Spring isn't defined by the date on a calendar in central New York. Here's sure signs the season is near.

 

More From 96.1 The Eagle