One University of Idaho history professor has slammed a lawsuit onto a social media influencer for making the claim that she was responsible for the murders of four students from the school.
A self-titled “cyber-sleuth,” Ashley Guillard hurled accusations of the heinous crime at professor Rebecca Scofield. The TikTok star made the claim that she “solves crimes online” by making use of psychic readings.
Guillard made the claim that Scofield was taking part in a relationship with one of the four students that were killed and planned out the disturbing murders alongside another student due to the other person in the relationship seeking to end the affair.
“The statements made about Professor Scofield are false, plain and simple,” Explained Wendy J. Olson, the attorney for Scofield. “What’s even worse is that these untrue statements create safety issues for the Professor and her family.”
“They also further compound the trauma that the families of the victims are experiencing and undermine law enforcement efforts to find the people responsible in order to provide answers to the families and the public,” the statement went on. “Professor Scofield twice sent cease and desist letters to Ms. Guillard, but Ms. Guillard has continued to make false statements, knowing they are false. Thus, this lawsuit became necessary to protect Professor Scofield’s safety and her reputation.”
“On or about November 28, 2022, Guillard posted six TikTok videos to her account in which she falsely stated that Professor Scofield, the chair of the history department, was responsible for the four students’ deaths,” expressed the suit. “Two of the TikToks directly and falsely state that Professor Scofield ordered the execution of the four students. Three of the TikToks either falsely implied or directly stated that Professor Scofield had been involved in a relationship with one of the murdered students, K.G.”
The suit stated that the accusations have spawned intense security concerns for the professor and her family along with extreme financial loss in the wake of the accusations.
“She fears for her life and for the lives of her family members,” the complaint stated. “She has incurred costs, including costs to install a security system and security cameras at her residence. She fears that Guillard’s false statements may motivate someone to cause harm to her or her family members.”
Guillard issued a response to the suit by claiming that she is “not stopping” and hurled further questions out about why the professor required a team of trained lawyers “if she’s so innocent.”
“I don’t care what y’all say, Rebecca Scofield killed (the victims) and she was the one to initiate the plan,” professed Guillard.
Officials with the Idaho police have spoken out to state that any online harassment will not be tolerated for the case and could end in criminal charges.
“Investigators have been monitoring online activity related to this ongoing and active case and are aware of the large amount of rumors and misinformation being shared as well as harassing and threatening behavior toward potentially involved parties,” concluded Moscow Police. “Anyone engaging in threats or harassment whether in person, online or otherwise needs to understand that they could be subjecting themselves to criminal charges.”
