Bianca Devins’ mom glad killer pleaded guilty, but says she will never have closure

UTICA, N.Y. -- Kim Devins, whose 17-year-old daughter Bianca was murdered by Brandon Clark last summer, said she’s relieved her daughter’s killer pleaded guilty this week and her family doesn’t have to sit through a trail.

“While we have closure on the case, I don’t feel we’ll ever have closure when it comes to losing Bianca,” she said in an interview with Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard.

Clark, 22, of Cicero pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Oneida County Court Monday with the understanding that he will receive the maximum sentence of 25 years to life. He was set to go to trial later this month.

Clark slit Devins’ throat July 14 in Utica, and then posted bloody photos of her online. He then tried to kill himself and took a selfie of himself with the body, police said.

The photos were shared online and spread to many social media platforms. The killing created an internet firestorm and made headlines around the world.

Devins said she and other family members will give statements at the April 6 sentencing of Clark in Oneida County Court. She said she will do whatever she can to make sure he never gets out of prison on parole.

“We want the judge to know how much (Clark) took from our family, and how his actions have affected us and so many other people,'' she said this week. “We will never be the same.”

"This is our life now, and we have to live this life without Bianca,'' she said. “And we still have to deal with all the horrific photos on the internet, and the harassment of our family these images have caused.”

After the murder, some people sent the photos of Bianca to the family. Devins and her family, along with Rep. Anthony Brindisi, have been working to get social media platforms to take down such photos and change their policies. Instagram has now changed it privacy policies in response to this case.

Devins said she wants to focus on the life of her beautiful daughter, instead of how she was killed.

She said once the sentencing is over, she can focus on accomplishing her daughter’s goals and wishes. Along with raising money for mental health issues, Bianca wanted to travel. She wanted to accompany her mom and sister on a road trip to Los Angeles and now Devins says she’ll work to make the trip happen.

First up is the Bee Gala, an art gala meant to celebrate Bianca’s life and raise money for a psychology scholarship in her name. The event, which starts at 6 p.m. Saturday at 901 Broad St. in Utica, will feature Bianca’s art work, both completed and unfinished pieces. Guests are asked to wear pink in Bianca’s honor. Tickets are still available.

Clark apologized in court Monday for killing Bianca, but Devins said she found it insincere.

"He’s very manipulative,'' she said. “He never showed any remorse. And none of his hollow words are going to bring her back.”

"He’s just evil - a murderer that our family trusted,'' she said.

Devins said she bears no ill will toward Clark’s family.

"He manipulated his own family as well as ours,'' she said. “His family has to be tortured by this as well. You have to feel for them.”

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