University of Idaho professor Rebecca Scofield has filed a defamation lawsuit against TikToker Ashley Guillard after she made videos alleging that the educator was behind the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.
A University of Idaho professor has filed a defamation lawsuit against a TikToker who claims to be psychic after the creator accused the educator of being behind the unsolved killings of the four students found slain in November.
Rebecca Scofield is the chair of the history department at the University of Idaho, which was thrown into a panic after Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were found dead in the young women's home on Nov. 13. The Moscow Police say they were stabbed to death with a fixed-blade knife. A weapon has not been recovered. Police have not identified any suspects in the killings, nor have they publicly identified a motive.
Scofield was accused of being behind the killings by Ashley Guillard, a Texas-based creator who claims to have the ability to use tarot cards to solve mysteries. Guillard made more than 37 videos on TikTok in November and December in which she shares a baseless theory that Scofield, whose image she also shares, arranged to have the students murdered after being romantically involved with or interested in Goncalves.
Her videos have been viewed 2.5 million times.
In three of the videos, Guillard claims Scofield worked with another student to plan the killings.
In another, Guillard says that Scofield “ordered the execution” of the students, and may have dated "or wanted to" date Goncalves.
"This is literally a serious case of libel, she can absolutely sue you," one commenter wrote on the video.
"I’m not worried about Rebecca Scofield suing me because she will be using her resources to fight four murder cases," Guillard said at one point.
But after sending the TikToker two cease-and-desist letters, Scofield did, in fact, file a defamation lawsuit against her, saying Guillard's claims are completely false, have caused chaos in Scofield’s life, done damage to her reputation and put her and her family’s safety at risk.
"In November 2022, four students at the University of Idaho were murdered at a home near the campus. The tragedy has garnered attention, and inflicted great sorrow, throughout the University, the State, and the country. Defendant Ashley Guillard—a purported internet sleuth—decided to use the community’s pain for her online self-promotion," reads the complaint, filed last week in Idaho District Court.
Scofield never met any of the four students killed and did not "commit or in any way participate" in their murders, the complaint says.
"Professor Scofield was not in Moscow, Idaho, when the murders occurred," the complaint says. "She and her husband were in Portland, Oregon, visiting friends. They stayed in a hotel, checking out in the morning on November 13, after the murders occurred. They drove from Portland to Moscow, a drive of more than five hours, arriving after law enforcement officers had discovered the murders."
The complaint also says that Scofield and Guillard have never met.
"She does not know why Guillard picked her to repeatedly falsely accuse of ordering the tragic murders and being involved with one of the victims. Professor Scofield does know that she has been harmed by the false TikToks and false statements," the complaint says.
Because of Guillard, Scofield's name is linked to “murder” in a basic internet search, the complaint says.
"Her reputation has been tarnished, and she has suffered extreme emotional distress from the constant public attention and the ongoing online conversation discussing the false relationship with a student, as falsely alleged by Guillard," the complaint continues.
And as she deals with online ridicule and threats from Guillard’s online commenters, Scofield has installed a security system and security cameras at her residence, as "she fears that Guillard’s false statements may motivate someone to cause harm to her or her family members," the complaint says.
The professor's lawsuit requests a jury trial, attorneys’ fees, and compensatory and punitive damages.
After the lawsuit was filed, Guillard posted a video in which she said she was “gleaming with excitement” to present her ideas in court about Scofield's involvement in the quadruple homicide.
The Moscow Police Department has also responded to the case, saying, “at this time in the investigation, detectives do not believe the female associate professor and chair of the history department at the University of Idaho suing a TikTok user for defamation is involved in this crime. The Moscow Police Department will not provide a statement about the ongoing civil process."
