Idaho Killings Spark Fight Between Teacher Accused in Murder and Web Sleuth

The quadruple homicide in Moscow, Idaho, recently sparked a feud between a professor at the University of Idaho and an online sleuth who has accused the professor of being involved in the crime.

Rebecca Scofield, an associate professor and chair of the history department at the university, recently filed a lawsuit against Ashley Guillard, a TikTok personality who attempts to solve crimes in her videos.

The lawsuit claims that Guillard posted numerous TikTok videos where she accused Scofield of being "responsible for the four students' deaths."

Last month, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Ethan Chapin, 20, and Xana Kernodle, 20, were found fatally stabbed in an off-campus residence near the University of Idaho. The Moscow Police Department has continued to investigate the incident, but as of Friday, no suspect had been named.

Throughout the ongoing investigation, numerous theories and rumors have circulated on social media, prompting police to warn the public to only trust official sources of information.

"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," police said in a press release.

"Anyone engaging in threats or harassment whether in person, online or otherwise needs to understand that they could be subjecting themselves to criminal charges."

According to the lawsuit, beginning on November 24, Guillard started posting numerous TikTok videos claiming that Scofield was involved in the crime and that Scofield "had been involved in a relationship with one of the murdered students, K.G. [Kaylee Goncalves]."

"On November 28, 2022, Guillard posted six TikTok videos in which she falsely alleged, either by explicitly stating so or posting text with her videos, that Professor Scofield participated in, or was otherwise responsible for the murders of the four University of Idaho students and that she did so because of her prior relationship with K.G.," the lawsuit says.

"In one video, she wrote, 'Rebecca Scofield's thoughts as she ordered the murder of the 4 University of Idaho students,'" the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit added that Scofield sent Guillard a cease-and-desist letter to stop accusing her of being involved, but Guillard continued to make the videos.

In a statement sent to Newsweek, Scofield's legal team said, "The statements made about Professor Scofield are false, plain and simple. 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.

"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."

Guillard told Newsweek in a statement that she previously predicted Goncalves' former boyfriend, Jack DuCoeur, would be arrested and added that "Rebecca Scofield is next."

In a series of TikTok videos after the lawsuit was filed, Guillard responded that Scofield is going to "be added to the list of regretful people" who have accused her of any wrongdoing.

Newsweek reached out to Guillard for comment.

Update 12/26/22, 10:30 a.m. ET. This story has been updated with a statement from Guillard.