The father of the Bridgeport man accused of killing a 17-year-old in Utica and posting photos of the murder online is apologizing to the victim’s family.
Jason Clark told CNYCentral he is still struggling to comprehend the accusations against his son and wants the family of Bianca Devins, 17, to know how sorry he is for their loss.
Police say Brandon Andrew Clark, 21, has been charged with second-degree murder for the death of Devins, a well-known social media user from Utica.
Investigators say Clark slashed Devins’ neck and posted photos of her dead body online. He stabbed himself, police said, and took selfies of himself lying across the body.
Clark’s father says his son grew up in a supportive family and was raised right, but admits there was some dysfunction.
Brandon Clark is the oldest of four children, his father said.
Utica police say they have no indication Clark was under the influence of drugs when he attacked Devins. However, his father tells us his son recently texted him, saying he was using LSD.
Jason Clark says there's no justification for what his son allegedly did, and says it appears his son snapped.
In addition to apologizing, Clark says he hopes Devins' family can find peace.
Utica police say Brandon Clark posted the gruesome images of Devins’ body on Instagram. Those images were left up for hours and were eventually removed.
Instagram told CNYCentral me once they were notified of the crime, they removed the posts, but they aren't saying why they were up for so long.
Photographs are still being shared on social media sites, Utica police said. If you see them, police ask you to report them.