How did images of a 17 year old girl's murder go viral? "48 Hours" contributor Jericka Duncan reports.
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on July, fourteenth twenty nineteen. I woke up picked up my phone and noticed that my group chat was buzzing of.
Something and I looked at it and it was a photo of my friend and it looked like shoes,
dead,
I was reading all the messages and they're saying guys like in the discord someone posted that bianca is like dead or something, and I was like what some people
The discord actually had to call the police complaints good morning. I
I believe someone may have been murdered apparent where
so. On. My group and somebody positive picture of her
some of the murder and I believe it to be a miss bianca, Michel devon
before I knew it. The photo was being circulated around
my community and then beyond it
So tell me: what did you see that day? I was on twitter, as I usually do just gateway.
Lorries are trending that day, and I saw that bianca's name was trending
I didn't know very much at that point, just that images
and posted and we're going viral on social media and
just knew that I wanted to find out more. I think there are some very confused someone
something on the internet where they, you know, the outcome may have been heard.
I am keen to have entered I'm bianca's mother yeah goes. He also urged inspiring
model. I knew she had an annoying presence, but I found that granddaughters do not share their online presence with our grandfathers. So I was unaware of the depth of social media was a huge part of bianca.
and am online. She could be worse
she wanted to be. She was definitely a social,
a chameleon, she had multiple instagram, it
which is not uncommon for
it's her age, but in one of them was clearly reserve.
For her online friends, you know, was fairly edgy. She was
Fifthly, very popular on discord as common for some people in the community is trying to escape
or maybe to get attention to. Free
Where does as this photo is circulating on discord and then to others?
Will media platforms, the authenticity of the photo is being
debated. A lot of people are unsure,
whether or not it's real people were making names out of the images they returned,
two jokes: they were sent to me. They were sent to
various family members, so that
the collection of different communications received by bianca's mom
Obviously, every one of them meant to be incredibly cool. Incredibly hard, for this is a form of cycle.
ethical terrorism they just don't
I understand the cruelty and the emptiness in someone's heart were. They would get some kind of a thrill
Out of some index pictures to a family. I remember just stand,
in saying now. It's not her stamped up stairs thing. It's not her camping, its natural snap,
Baby,
the
joy fourteen twenty nineteen,
such a beautiful day. Utica was our bullet, make a road raised, which is a welcome.
fifteen k road race, where participants from across the world come to run as the first runners
the finish line, utica police detectives.
Ryan, core motto and Michael curly heard alarming reports of a possible murder. Certainly nothing prepared
as for a homicide, and they did with big photos spread
on the social media platform, discord and prompted calls from around
country. Looking when what what bianca michel double open the girls with clean badly, it may be still alive,
people do not know if it was real or not. We need to find her to make sure to see. If you
All right
police body cameras were rolling, as officers arrived at seventeen year old, bianca deafens home, to perform a welfare check. When did you
First, learn that your daughter was missing.
at our door, dessert
bianca devon solution. I dont
If you answer the door came up to me and said man, the police are here, there's something going on with the anchor the police didn't show. Bianca's mother came the photo
but said they feared her daughter. Might be in danger
try to get older and what we're
thinking at that moment
so confused it didn't know
bianca, was
want me to waste them came told
She last saw bianca the day before she headed with french. Did this
answered in new york city. I was her mood when she left iron
amber bianca being so excited. I left her alone,
for most of the night just giving her space, and this was her first real adult cancer beyond good texted, her mother, after the concert to say she was heading
home. Bianca was enjoying her new found. Freedom came says after graduating, high school two weeks thoroughly.
but her journey to get their hadn't been easy.
What point did you realize she needed help? Bianca first thought
passed at nine years old. She was having some separation anxiety, didn't want, didn't
so I just want to stay home with me and then around thirteen, the anguished start showing signs of depression.
as bianca isolated herself from others. She started to spend more time
on social media. She really could just escape her
mental struggles. What was going on in her had an escape into
in a different world outline
six in the morning and I'm currently editing this.
When in reality, now that I'm saw me,
How prevalent was bianca on social media? She was extremely prevalent on social media. She
had a large presence on many platforms. Reporter E Egypt dixon covered bianca. Still,
for rolling stone magazine, says the inner
It has a name for the type of character, bianca portrayed on line. What's an ego,
e girl, is its basically a term used to describe a certain type of aesthetic.
It's like a very edgy dark. Aesthetic, different colored
hair, but bianca's behaviour was growing increasingly erratic at age. Sixteen she was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and illness, which can
believes led to bianca's varying mood, swings and affected herself image, the for his very smart,
She was very intuitive and self aware who she always knew. Something was wrong:
and she knew she needed help there.
This will,
The couch bianca sought treatment says her grandfather, frank and
eventually returned to her role as a devoted big sister to olivia
and mattie
I'll, send it to the actors back, that's our girl.
And there was this glow in her eyes when she talked about going to college what she was
to do with her life
Bianca immersed herself in her art was even getting noticed as a promising young model is she would get
the compliments from models and agents
She really feel good about herself when she was modeling, though she
and turned a corner, bianca maintained
edgy online persona and by age. Seventeen created
multiple identities. She also had an active presence on four chan which is sort of on the darker side of the web.
I go on the record same fortune is a dangerous place and its also just an incredibly incredibly massaging of six base as bianca's.
felicity grew on line. So did the number of some
her male followers called orbiters, says online friend, Elizabeth
Whether called orbit heiress is because they will follow like a girl. They think is attract
If online- and you know just like orbit them, never become close to them. Bianca was exceptionally patients and accessible to her orbiters to a fault at times.
an orator who captured bianca's attention was a twenty one year old lived driver named Brandon clark, whom she met on instagram and may of twenty nineteen. What was healed
honestly, nothing notable here
kind of like a normal one of these weird
people. You know one of these where guys and the community after community
adding on social media. They eventually took their relationship offline and briefly dated, but were never exclusive. Bianca had made it clear to Brandon.
tat, she was not interested in a committed, monogamous relationship. At this point and brenda
had seemed to accept that members
they came round and he came round pretty often he just looked like
goofy nerdy boy next door kim says there were,
no glaring red flags about clark. So when bianca told her mother, he was taking her to that concert in new york city Kim thought, nothing of it. I took it
no comfort in knowing that she would be with brandon cause? I trusted
Stay here, for example, as the search continued bianca's friend suspected the photo circulating on discord, might be a hoax. After learning, it was clark, hosted the image we all just
soon that he was making a joke or trying to scare us or something on discord. Discordance fairly common for people to post gore and disturbing images, just sort of get arise out of
So it was certainly within the realm of possibility that this could have been faked respect all unit, but things turn very real, very fast
We have a mamma line now when it was clark who called nine one one and was brandon loose, bianca
the show
It was like an out of body experience, but I was shaking I just kept thinking now: she's, fine words we just have to find her.
we're gonna get our hopes. Gonna be ok. As before
His family awaited news of her safety. Police dispatch, received a call, nine
my name is Brandon victimised bianca michel Devon
I'm going to kill myself the officer
that the devil's home could hear what was unfolding on their radios brand.
Act, sir boyfriend or apparently he
suicidal he's made statements saying
you hurt your daughter, it didn't make.
and to remember just being very confused that they were
saying the brain in may have hurt her. It just didn't make sense that he would have hurt her investigators turned their attention to Brandon Clarke, who by then had posted more disturbing pictures of bianca, including one with this message. I'm sorry bianca
you were fighting against time. At least some we needed to find her and we need to find her fast.
there's that us, where is there basically pinging his phone? The dispatcher tried to keep clark talking until police.
The pin point his location fail,
me: ok, be I'm not gonna stay with you, I'm going to be done on the ground
but before hanging up clark, told them exactly where to find him,
a dead in road not far from here
anchors home described for me. Where was Brandon and what was he doing? Brennan's vehicle was parked up. I had to hear an officer pulled up and he
nerves. Brandon I saw a man. Brain is armed with a knife. He has it
I pointed out
engages him with the most down men, but an iphone
this conversation back and forth words go one nation
as the authors are moved into position clarks lashed himself with the knife. He then took selfie and posted into social media with the capture
she's to ashes. Ultimately vampa lives. They engage in front of his vehicle. After a brief struggle, Clark was disarm.
under arrest. When I write
dancing, Brandon was actually just being wheeled out
to the ambulance, as paramedic
raised to save clarks life investigators made a grim discovery, the body
the young woman hidden beneath a tart.
Tentative core amato knew they had found bianca
the
We just got the story or send somebody to the mom's house to give her ads on the phone, but before police could make that call.
Kim says she had already learned the painful truth and
he was in the kitchen with her friend and we heard the most excluded.
Shading scream
that you ve ever heard come out of a teenager. Someone had texted me
his family, the horrific photo I just kept screaming it's not her. It's not her, it's not my baby and who was her. I said to myself: I'm going to be strong, get my family through this at this wasn't a who done it. We know who did it?
We had a work backwards to figure out why this happened. Investigators started at the crime scene as we were like
about Brandon. Every single thing he did at the crime scene meant something to him process
Sarah De Mille you're in Michael Nolan would leave the investigate
for the united county district attorney's office and began with the cryptic message clark spray painted at the scene, as this case was going. One of the things we saw was that may now forget me
The first thing we did. I think everybody does now the prosecutor, something you don't know you google it in
two gaiters learn that message was taken from a series of japanese comic books, called pun, pon that clark and bianca had often read together. The books are dark there,
ireland and its almost a japanese dark virginal of romeo and Juliet does he have some very skewed
extra, that his relationship with bianca is a star cross lover scenario, and there was something else and
Two gaiters found unusual about the sea. He everything that I think we found party.
You're really eerie was the music.
the crime scene
Using a blue to speaker. Clark had programmed his cell phone to play a particular song on repeat.
and that song was. We later learned test drive by georgie the bow, a person who is more invested in the relationship than somebody else to understand exactly what was happening between beyond
and clark that night investigators began reviewing their social media accounts and soon learned
to warn alone at the concert it wasn't just bianca brand and in fact they were accompanied by another person on another guy direct messages from bianca's disk
account reveal she had invited a new friend named Alex and was concerned. Brandon might get jealous prosecutors tracked him down. He was very helpful and explaining the last moments that he spat went bianca there.
Brandon really seemed to not want Alex their investigate
there's learn that after brandon and bianca left the concert she texted alex to say. I think he saw me kiss you
When we do learn that there is a case of the concert we need to explore. Was it a crime of of passion? If you will, was it a snap just before dawn as they headed back to you to cook clark made this ominous post on social media. Brandon has posted a photograph.
of what appears to be the new york state thruway and in that post. He says here comes how it's redemption rate, even as investigators question what had happened after that and where nothing could have prepared them for what they would soon uncover. We'd found out that there was a video of the work. This is a horror film playing out in real life.
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it's early in the morning when I go into the office and we get a call from the police department,
you tell us, you know, there's something that you have to see here the day
after the murder of bianca devils prosecutors,
there are two million and Michael Nolan went down to the utica police department. Overnight investigators had conducted a forensic analysis of Brandon clark cell phone and found something terrifying. They set us up with a computer, some speakers and some headphones and push play, and that's when we see that
There is a video made by Brandon of him, killing bianca
think it wasn't until the very moment that we realise this was probably the most horrible
terrible thing that either of us have ever seen in our life and as a prosecutor, many of the
tales are two gruesome to describe. Bianca appears to be sleeping on. The back seat is folded out so that its flat
He then takes this camera antiques
said to almost one of those events that would be on the front dash
see from. There is the beginning of the Hamas
where Brandon reaches into the back. He collects from the back, see a knife,
and again to us at something he came prepared with on and he hides.
at the right hand, side of of the car. We see that he
weeks bianca, and he goes about having a conversation with her
then tamil. Your says, Brandon asked bianca about that kiss she had with Alex.
Other young man at the concert, the night before he tells Harry
you know, you know, I saw you kiss
ray and she says yeah.
I'm sorry
says. Why? I'm sorry is not good enough. It's just not good enough for him to me
you're says it's then that beyond reminded clark, they were not exclusive and shipping.
the police, as how are you?
to take me home. Yet
and, at this point with brandon realizing. This might be the end of the time that the two of them are
spend together. We see him grab the knife, she does not see it coming two million since Clark then killed bianca, and then he blamed
He screams dramatically into the camera bianca. Why did you make me do this? Like it's her fault and it's not
it was after he finished filming the video that clark took those graphic photos of bianca and posted them on social media, and I know that she had gotten out of their car. She would have called me. Bianca's, mother and grandfather have never seen the video but heard of it's kind.
It's early on in the investigation. I was ten minutes away. She had just been able to get out of the car he caught her completely off guard
Does that hong you today it does
I was so close fought him that impressed me most was. She fought for her life
This sickening murder video, wasn't the only important piece of evidence investigate
is found on clark cell phone
They learn that he was intent on killing bianca long before the events of that night.
We learn that brandon is meticulous in his
better regulation items of things that he wants to do.
Two days before killing Bianca clark, Udall
as the notes app on his smartphone and typed a sinister check list.
I would just describe this list as the to do list the things that he needs to do to carry out his cause.
plan and to see just crime scene set up speaker and less on question mark and that's not on clark did multi.
Internet searches some the day before the murder researching ways to kill, searched how to choke someone out
How do you hit carotid artery to kill someone more evidence? Investigator say that this was not a crime of passion Brennan had as planned. He had the video staged. He had formed stage
exactly what he was doing. We believe that
When this relationship came to an end was when he was going to kill her brandon.
To be with her, she did not want to be with them.
and he wasn't lying bales hammer
matter, what she said.
She was gonna wind up dad that night till we
after the murder, bianca's, family and friends, packed the court room wearing paint your favorite color,
as they waited for Brandon clark to make his first public appearance brain and walked into the courtroom. Today, wearing an orange jumpsuit and a black protect beth, I was in court
when they brought him in nice, and he just looks pathetic. Clark was officially charged with second degree murder and pleaded not guilty
The defence was considering an extreme emotional disturbance, defence, but authorities and be
as family were not buying it investor years and the prosecutors describe him just an evil,
then that wanted to murder someone and that's who Brandon as he is a murderer. He is evil and, as prosecutors prepared to go
the trial they had only one goal in mind. Many justice for
the ongoing we need to make sure Brandon can
for her anybody else. Again. That's what our job as, but there was
I think they could do to stop what was going on online. The horrific images of bianca's murder,
clerk had posted continue to spread on the internet and a vile campaign of hate was brewing.
social media,
His family members were also being targeted as a result of bianca's death.
It was just nonstop harassment. This is a form of psychological terrorism.
The the.
in the days following bianca's murder down.
Town utica was lit up in pink and her honour and a candle light vigil was held to celebrate her life.
the
supporters gathered to think of the magic,
in a song, her grandfather, frank, saying to bianca as a child
a tradition. She continued with her baby sister mattie popham major dragon at the special
but as bianca's family grieved the images of her
dead body had spilled from the fringes of the internet into mainstream
social media. I just can't understand why people would want to see it. This is real frank, believes those who share the
photos didn't see bianca as a loving daughter or cherished granddaughter. They didn't see her as a person at all. These pictures aren't fictitious pictures taken from a movie or have a lovely
Beautiful girl, whose life was taken from her in a cruel way, bianca's death photos spread.
on the social media platforms. Facebook, instagram and twitter,
when you found out that your daughter's images or on twitter is heartbreaking at so exploitive of my daughter, I just thought of how purist she would be how heartbroken she would be.
And pleaded with social media companies to remove the images, but it took time they stayed and and facebook for at least a couple of weeks
every time the photo was removed. Another one would appear in its place, says reporter Egypt Dixon, unfortunately
extremely violent and disturbing images can circulate.
I only on social media and a lot of social media platforms. Dont have the inst infrastructure in place to prevent that from happening. In response. Some social media users, letter grass roots effort to replace the death photos with messages of hope. So bianca supporters tried to combat people trawling, the hashtag by posting, beautiful images of clouds, bunnies ribbons or fan are of bianca like we see here to what end
they did it to push the death photos down in the search results, but amid the battle to preserve bianca's memory kim says her family became victims of vicious online trolls, who relentlessly sent them the horrific photos they were sent to me.
they were sent to various family members that we're close to bianca alive. He has had to take a break from social media because there is always the risk of having to see her sisters death further along with the foe,
Those were hateful messages, blaming bianca for what happened to her, many of which are to graphic, to show its horrifying its traumatize in to see people saying that,
Your daughter, your listen, my baby, that she deserved such a quarrel and her life
in direct messaging and text messages to the family of very twisted need.
Is being met by continuing to
share these and trying to get these two bianca's family. It actually furthers the physical crime
Behavioral scientists, stephen commando, believes individuals most likely responsible for the attacks on bianca's family belong to account
unity of online men called in cells in
polish word for involuntary celebrate in cells or individuals, men, twenty one or older we ve got.
Six months or longer without any sort of sexual activity, not by their
when volition ansell see themselves as victims says command
and a never ending struggled to win the affection of attractive women whom they refer to as stacy's in cells believed that they don't have any chance which stacy's at all was
We also consider the stacey bianca would be conservative stacy, though Clark did not identify.
As an insult, he was celebrated by this dark community for what he did to Bianca.
The insult feels badly cheated to the point where
becomes just an obsessive thought that I need to strike back for the unfair
In fact, this violent rhetoric has led to murder. In two thousand,
fourteen a twenty two year old self identified in cell, went on
deadly rampage, an eyelid vista california, killing six people since then, the intelligence community believes there have been more than a dozen mass killings in north america resulting and fifty debts,
tribute it too, in cell ideology and answers been more insult. Coins has become more clear to us that there is on the spectrum of themselves,
those at the extreme and who are certainly capable of murder, and because of that
recognize now as a terrorist threat.
We all knew that we are in the line of fire and I was honestly afraid to lie
leave my house the response to bianca's this murder by the insect community served as a wake up call for friends like Elizabeth
and other young women in their online world who realize they too could be targets,
you know those same insult communities that were praising brandons actions foreseen
oh, I wonder who's gonna be next. I can't wait for the next victim or you know, or the next girl me.
Chill as clarks case headed to trial. Emotions ran high for bianca's family who feared for me
Video would be played in court. My last memory of bianca as her full of life so excited seem to have to see her.
And her last moments how she was burly. Murder is absolutely traumatize agents
then no one should ever say, but shortly before his,
I will begin in February twenty twenty clark pleaded guilty to bianca's murder.
I know that sorry is not enough.
I won't take back. Why did you thirty one
spare us from having to see the details of biogas martyr. Did you believe him
don't believe him Kim may have been right to be suspicious for sentencing clause
changed his mind yet again and wanted to go to trial. We know tat, he
he's play a game with everybody.
go to the forty eight hours, facebook page to learn more about the effort to turn tragedy into hope. Just five months after pleading guilty to murdering bianca devon random clark was back in court to try and change his plead back to not guild
see this request infuriated the deference family, who had already been through so much dont placate. Take your punishment. Give the spanish
bianca's mom said she knew why clark,
I wanted to go to trial. He found out
There were media and pretty
companies interested in bianca restoring. He wanted to be able to tell her side clark wouldn't admit to that. Months later he took the stand to lose his case.
the testimony you're about to say, treat the whole truth and nothing about the chimps about the guy. He blamed his former attorney luke NI bush, a well respected local public defender for not visiting him enough in prison and pressure
bring him into pleading guilty. I know that was a first time offender and have no knowledge in the legal system. Knowledge about court proceedings. You state your name on the stand. Ne Bush said: Clark's claims are not true.
I went to the american jill fifteen times to display their mobile.
I spent four or five hours with them. There are moments where placement to maybe an average of three he sat. In fact he was the one who encouraged his former client to plead not guilty and go to trial, but it was
clark who refused to please
each of these charges as MR clerks and it was
Our intention is yes and
red cross examination prosecutor mike Nolan, demolish clogs argument about his supposed legal knowledge,
you're, making claims that MR needle into his job, but you don't know that correct
with the resources are provided, it looks like he did not do his job and again what law school did you go to Mr Clarke they're not going to last right, so you don't know that correct
threats facing the judge denied brandon clarks request to withdraw his guilt deeply and on march sixteen twenty twenty one nearly two years,
Two bianca was murdered. He was finally brought into be sentenced. Are there any family members that would like to address the court? Yes, your honor
Bianca's, mother and grandfather had been waiting a long time to face bianca's killer with the death of your child comes the most unimaginable indescribable pain, a pain that time cannot heal and only seems to worsen, but brandon for the cruel manner in which you took my granddaughter's life for the total disregard you had for a human life for the careless act in which you posted pictures of her murdered body on social media to gratify your own selfish purposes. You Brandon deserve to spend the rest of your life in prison before the judge read his sentence. Clark gave a statement. I hate myself for why that I'm so sorry that I put everyone through this, I'm so sorry that I put bianca through this. I wish I could apologize to her and just apologize. I apologize and just take it back, but.
Did you all believe his apology? Did you think it was sincere at all? No, not ensure it's part of the story is to play or poor me. It's not about what he did to bianca, it's all about him. The judge also appeared unmoved by clarks apology and gave him
maximum sentence for murdering bianca twenty five years to life, a deeper starch an hour with bianca. Our angel was given so much love
this family, but despite their relieve beyond,
family knows their fight may not be over. After clark serves twenty five years in prison, he could be eligible for parole. He will be in his late. Forties did bianca, receive justice,
now. Justice would be the acca being alive, but just
for me. I can now takes a different form. Bianca's family is true,
to turn their grief into action, they have worked with local politicians like then congressmen anthony brindisi, to try and get bianca's law passed. Today we are putting social media companies on notice. We are taking substantive action on the federal level to bring the devin's family peace and ensure this never happens to another family again. Bianca's law is,
bill that would hold social media companies accountable for violent in graphic content that they allow on their platforms. So we look at that. As a start for us
series of laws and policies that would prevent death photos like bianca's from being put up and social media? They also have us.
published a scholarship and bianca's name, and it will go
you're a student who is going to follow bianca's ambitions of helping hopping adolescents with metal out struggles like be allocated.
How do you want bianca to be remembered and won't be actor, be remembered for her smile for her brain spirit for her
huge carrying heart. I always wanted to help someone
even in her were startled when she couldn't help herself. She helped others
she will never ever be forgotten.
yeah
former beauty queen vanishes without a trace. There were so many stories. I knew something had happened. How could someone keep this a secret for so long years later a secret revealed. He starts telling everything in forty eight hours, saturday, at ten nine central cbs, hey prime members
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Transcript generated on 2023-06-01.