On Feb. 10, Instagram anime influencer Bianca Devins’ accused murderer, Brandon Clark, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder after brutally killing the 17-year-old rising star while the two were on their way home from a Nicole Dollanganger concert in Queens, NY on July 14, 2019. Brandon was initially thought to be a suspect in late July, when police apprehended him after finding him atop a tarp covering Bianca’s remains and posting photos of his attempted suicide online. Brandon’s plea stipulates his admission to stabbing Bianca in the neck, subsequently killing her, and sharing the grisly images on social media. Brandon faces 25 years to life in prison, as a result.
While submitting his guilty plea, Brandon read a statement he prepared for the court, in which he tried to make amends for his actions. “I know she didn’t deserve what happened to her,” Brandon said. “And I think that I need to realize that what I did I can’t undo, as much as I want to, and I need to face it. And I apologize to all the people that knew and loved her. I apologize to everybody affected by this.”
Prior to Brandon’s guilty plea, the Utica District Attorney, Scott McNamara, confirmed to HollywoodLife on July 16, “This case doesn’t have any of the aggravating factors [to make it 1st degree murder] so it falls under murder in 2nd degree and the punishment for that is 25 years to life. So, if he gets the maximum punishment he would have to serve 25 years in state prison and then be eligible for parole every two years after that.”
— H Rose Schneider (@OD_Schneider) February 10, 2020
While naming him a suspect, police believed Brandon was consumed in a fit of rage after allegedly seeing Bianca kissing an unidentified young man at the same concert they attended. Before taking up a real life friendship, Brandon and Bianca had met over the internet and began messaging one another.
Following Bianca’s death, her family released the following statement to HollywoodLife: “We are very grateful for the outpouring of love and sympathy we have received from our Friends, Family, Bianca’s Friends and the whole community. Your prayers help to strengthen us through this difficult time. Bianca, age 17, was a talented artist, a loving sister, daughter, and cousin, and a wonderful young girl, taken from us all too soon. She is now looking down on us, as she joins her cat, Belle, in heaven. Bianca’s smile brightened our lives. She will always be remembered as our Princess. Bianca graduated from T. R. Proctor High School this past June and was looking forward to attending MVCC in the fall.”