WHEN Kim Devins received a notification, tagging her in a picture on Instagram, her blood ran cold.
A sick troll had sent her a photo of her daughter’s lifeless body – her face covered in blood and a cut visible on her neck.
In July 2019, Bianca, 17, was horrifically murdered by her friend, Brandon Clark, 22, who then uploaded footage and images of her dead body to social media.
Within days, the disturbing content had gone viral and been shared with Bianca’s family and friends.
Since then, her mum, Kim, 39, from New York, has tirelessly campaigned for Bianca's Law, a bid to see social media held accountable for allowing these pictures to be distributed on their channels.
She has recently managed to make it illegal to upload graphic images of crime scenes online in New York – now she wants to see the rest of the world follow suit.
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Kim says: “Losing my daughter in such horrific circumstances was like no pain I’ve ever endured, but seeing her like that was a living nightmare.
“Knowing that her death was being exploited and mocked by trolls online is a trauma no family should ever suffer.
“Social media companies need to be accountable for allowing graphic content to be shared.”
Meeting a monster
Growing up, Bianca and her mum were the best of friends.
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The pair would figure skate together along with Kim’s younger daughter, Olivia, now 19.
But when she became a teenager, Bianca, who was an aspiring model, suffered with anxiety and low self-esteem.
Kim says: “By the time she was 15, she spent a lot of time in her room chatting to people online.
“But she knew the importance of online safety. I’d always know who she was talking to and she kept her bedroom door open at all times.”
A year later, in May 2019, Bianca, then 17, became friends with Clark, then 19, over Instagram. He lived 45 minutes away.
Kim says: “Eventually, I met him. He was very polite and friendly.”
According to Kim, Bianca and Clark briefly dated but Bianca told him they weren’t exclusive.
But during Bianca’s graduation party two months later, Clark introduced himself as her boyfriend.
Kim remembers: “Bianca corrected him and told people they were just friends.
“It was strange because Brandon had recently gotten a tattoo of a playground swing on his leg – which was one of Bianca’s favourite things.”
Two weeks later, in July, Bianca went to a concert with Clark.
Kim says: “I told her to stay safe and that I loved her.
“She texted me the whole way there, keeping me up to date.
“I had a tracker for her phone so I knew where she was at all times.”
Kim texted and phoned Bianca at 1:45am to check in. But she didn’t get a reply. At 7am the police turned up at Kim’s door.
She recalls: “The officers asked me if I knew where Bianca was as something had been posted online and they were worried she’d been hurt.
“I had no idea what they were talking about.”
'My world came crashing down'
Kim tried calling Bianca but it went straight to voicemail.
45 minutes later the police confirmed they’d located Clark with a deceased woman.
When Kim described what Bianca was wearing that night, it was confirmed to be her daughter.
Clark was arrested on suspicion of murder.
Kim says: “My whole world came crashing down the moment they broke the news that Bianca was gone.
“I couldn’t believe it was her, nothing made sense.
“There were no red flags, no signs.”
Things would only get worse over the next few days.
Bianca discovered from police that Clark had filmed her daughter’s murder and uploaded the video and photos to social media.
The pictures had circulated on Discord, Google, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Friends and family were being trolled and sent photos of Bianca’s dead body.
Kim says: “I didn’t see them at first, as my family took my phone to shield me from them.
“I didn’t want to remember her that way.
“I wanted to kill Brandon for what he’d done.”
The following week, Kim discovered the details of Bianca’s brutal murder.
Clark had caught her off-guard while she was asleep in the backseat of his car.
He’d woken her up, angry she’d kissed another guy at the concert.
He launched at her – stabbing her to death.
Kim says: “Bianca had no time to fight or defend herself.
“It was barbaric.”
Ghoul's message
Clark pleaded not guilty. While she awaited the trial in January 2021, Kim was scrolling through Instagram when she received a notification.
It was a picture of Bianca’s face following her death.
Kim says: “She had blood on her face and a cut to her neck.
“The message read, ‘I’m gonna dig your daughter’s grave up. She deserved to die'. It was sick.”
She reported it to the police, but once the image was removed, another was posted in its place.
Three months later, in March 2021, Brandon Clark was jailed for 25 years for murder.
Kim says: “There is no justice for my daughter. Brandon stole her life and I’ll never see her again.
“I hope he rots inside.”
Recently, after years of campaigning, a law in Bianca’s name was finally passed in New York to make it a crime to share graphic images online of a crime scene.
Kim says: “I want the rest of America and the world to do the same.
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“Losing a child is enough pain, but to see their final moments ridiculed is heart-breaking.
“Something has to change.”
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