A University of Idaho professor accused of taking part in the brutal slaying of four college students by a tarot-card-reading TikTok sleuth has been cleared as a suspect in the crime, local police said Tuesday.
Last week, before she was absolved of the murders, history professor Rebecca Scofield filed a defamation suit against Texas TikTok user Ashley Guillard, who has posted numerous videos accusing the teacher of being involved after two cease-and-desist letters didn’t work.
“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,” police in the college town of Moscow said in an update on the investigation. “The Moscow Police Department will not provide a statement about the ongoing civil process.”
Guillard has been relentless in her claims, which she said were prompted by a tarot card reading. The Texas-based social media personality has more than 110,000 followers on TikTok, and her accusatory videos have been viewed millions of times.
“Professor Scofield has never met Guillard. She does not know her. She does not know why Guillard picked her to repeatedly falsely accuse her 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 Idaho historian said in her lawsuit, which was filed in Idaho District Court last Wednesday. "
Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20, were murdered in the early hours of Nov. 13 as they slept on the second and third floors of the house they rented just off campus. Two surviving roommates, who’d been asleep on the ground floor when it happened, discovered the victims the next morning and called police.
The FBI and the Idaho State Police are assisting sifting through evidence and tips in the brutal stabbings, with more coming in daily. The multi-agency team is combing through at least 7,650 emailed tips, 4,313 phone tips and 4,583 digital media submissions, the Moscow police said on Christmas Eve.
Moscow police have repeatedly refuted rumors and urged people to rely only on official, vetted sources of information. Earlier this month, they even suggested that criminal charges could be levied against those who spread misinformation.
Guillard’s video assault has been unremitting. In one recent offering, she even linked Scofield and another person who had been the subject of rumors, and whose involvement police have also discounted. She said she was excited to face Scofield in court and present her evidence.
Scofield, who was with her husband visiting friends in Portland, Oregon, when the murders were committed, is demanding a jury trial, legal fees and damages.
“Guillard’s false TikToks have damaged Professor Scofield’s reputation,” the professor said in court papers. “They have caused her significant emotional distress. She fears for her life and for the lives of her family members. 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.”
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