The chatroom was populated by a motley crew of teens and young adults, spread out from California to Tennessee to Massachusetts. They didn’t know each other independently, but they were brought together by a single, unifying force: bright, effervescent 17-year-old Bianca Devins.
The teenager from Utica, New York, loved her cats and had a way of creating community. Her friends ― most of whom she’d never met in real life ― gathered on her server on Discord, a messaging app for gamers, to discuss true crime, talk about cryptozoology, play Minecraft and dish about their daily plans.
Bianca, who was tall and slender, could come across as shy in person, even a little awkward. At Thomas R. Proctor High School, she often retreated to the art room to work on projects during lunch. Albert Shaw, her teacher for three years, said she stood out as a naturally gifted artist. “Whatever she did, it was amazing,” he said. “It was always the best in the class.
Online, uninhibited by anxiety, her creativity shone. She sent her friends silly homemade videos set to music and posted artistic selfies with quirky compositions ― her face surrounded by skulls and bats, or paired with ironic text. She often switched up her look, experimenting with pink hair and dramatic makeup. She liked modeling but her long-term plan was to get a degree in psychology so she could help adolescents with mental illness, which she struggled with herself. She was set to attend Mohawk Valley Community College in the fall.
.
Instagram: A photo Bianca Devins shared on her Instagram account.
Rabbi in Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s district compares Trump rally to ‘Nazi Germany’ originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Faith leaders in Rep. Ilhan Omar’s home district are standing firmly behind her in the face of attacks from President Trump, despite disagreeing with some of her comments on Israel.
Rabbi Avi Olitzky of Beth El Synagogue in Minneapolis, Minnesota, called chants of “send her home” at the president’s rally Wednesday night in Greenville, North Carolina, “terrifying.”
In an interview on ABC News Live’s “The Briefing Room,” Rabbi Olitzky told MaryAlice Parks he can’t “sit or stand silently while our sitting president issues such racist rhetoric.”
The woman who went missing while hiking in California said Tuesday that she is lucky to be alive after she got lost fleeing a knife-wielding man who threatened her near her campsite in the remote White Mountains.
Sheryl Powell, 60, of Huntington Beach, California, was reported missing by her husband on Friday afternoon after she disappeared while taking her dog on a walk near the Grandview Campsite.
Rescue teams scoured the mountains over the weekend, searching for Powell by foot and air. On Monday morning, they found Powell’s dog, Miley. About two and a half hours later, authorities found Powell, who was brought to a local hospital suffering from dehydration and superficial injuries.
A former tenant of the founder of an African American history museum in Louisiana was charged Tuesday with her murder, authorities said.
Ronn Jermaine Bell, 38, was arrested for allegedly killing Sadie Roberts-Joseph, who was found dead in the trunk of her car on Friday, Baton Rouge police announced. He was charged with firstdegree murder.
A preliminary autopsy conducted by the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’s Office showed Roberts-Joseph, 75, died of traumatic asphyxia.
An avowed white supremacist was sentenced to life plus 419 years on federal hate crime charges Monday for deliberately driving his car into anti-racism protesters during a white nationalist rally in Virginia.
James Alex Fields Jr., 22, received the sentence for killing one person and injuring dozens during the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville on Aug. 12, 2017.
Last month, Fields received a life sentence on 29 federal hate crime charges.
Charlottesville Circuit Court Judge Richard Moore followed a state jury’s recommendation in handing down the sentence. Under state law, he was allowed to go lower than the recommendation, but not higher.
“Mr. Fields, you had choices. We all have choices,” Moore said. “You made the wrong ones and you caused great harm. … You caused harm around the globe when people saw what you did.”
.
James Alex Fields Jr., is led out of General District Court courthouse after his sentencing on state charges in Charlottesville, Va., . Fields was sentenced to life plus 419 years on federal hate crime charges Monday for deliberately driving his car into anti-racism protesters during a white nationalist rally in Virginia.
Devins’ family described her as a “talented artist, loving sister, daughter, and cousin” in a statement issued Monday evening. She graduated from T.R. Proctor High School in Utica last month and was planning to attend Mohawk Valley Community College in the fall, according to the statement.
“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,” Devins’ family said. “Your prayers help to strengthen us through this difficult time.”
“[She was] a wonderful young girl, taken from us all too soon,” the family’s statement continued. “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.”
.
Twitter
Police say 17-year-old Bianca Devins was found dead outside a vehicle in Utica, New York, on Sunday morning.
Film and Writing Festival for Comedy. Showcasing best of comedy short films at the FEEDBACK Film Festival. Plus, showcasing best of comedy novels, short stories, poems, screenplays (TV, short, feature) at the festival performed by professional actors.
Explore the dynamic relationship between faith and science, where curiosity meets belief. Join us in fostering dialogue, inspiring discovery, and celebrating the profound connections that enrich our understanding of existence.
A photo Bianca Devins shared on her Instagram account.
.
.
.
James' World 2 