UTICA — A Bridgewater man is accused of killing his girlfriend on Sunday morning and posting pictures of her body with slashes to her neck on social media before trying to take his own life in front of a police officer.



The Utica Police Department said Brandon Andrew Clark, 21, has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of Bianca Devins, 17, of South Utica, in what police called a murder and attempted suicide.



The two were in a “personally intimate” relationship that began on the social media site Instagram about two months ago, police said. They had spent time together and met each others’ families, according to police.



Devins graduated from Thomas R. Proctor High School in Utica in June and was planning on attending Mohawk Valley Community College in the fall.



Her family released a statement Monday afternoon: “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.



On Sunday, the start of the Boilermaker 15K Road Race and the wheelchair race were delayed for about 20 minutes after police discovered the murder.



Police said that Devins and Clark attended a concert in New York City together at about 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and left around 10 p.m. after an argument apparently broke out in the city that police believe led to the murder, police said.



The argument apparently continued after the two arrived at Poe Street, ending only when Clark used a large, black-handled knife to stab Devins to death, police said. Clark is then believed to have taken photos of Devins, which he posed on the online platform Discord, police said.



Two people then saw the photos and contacted Utica police, who have now authenticated the photos, police said. Clark also called police, making incriminating remarks, threatening to kill himself and telling police where to find him, police said.



Police were dispatched to Poe Street at approximately 7:20 a.m. for a welfare check. The first officer arrived found a black SUV with Clark lying on the ground next to it in a wooded area at the end of the street, police said. As the officer approached, Clark almost immediately began to stab himself in the neck with a folding knife, police said. He then laid down on a green tarp on the ground some distance away.



The officer noticed brown hair coming from beneath the tarp and asked where the injured female was, police said. Clark said she was under the tarp and took out his cell phone, police said.



Police believe that he then took photographs of himself lying across Devins.



Other officers then arrived, disarmed Clark and took him into custody after a brief struggle, police said. He was taken by the Utica Fire Department to the St. Elizabeth Campus of the Mohawk Valley Health System where he underwent emergency surgery, police said.



He was listed in critical condition, but upgraded today to serious, but stable condition, police said.



After Clark was taken away, police then began their investigation, finding Devlin’s body, with extensive injuries to her neck, under the tarp.



Several knives were found on the scene, police said.



Police do not have a time of death for Devins but believe she was killed inside Clark’s car and later moved to the ground, they said.



Other charges may be considered against Clark, who has not yet been arraigned, police said.



Police are working with social media platforms to address the distribution of the photos, they said.



This was the fifth murder in Utica this year and the fourth female victim.