Celebrity psychic ordered to pay historical past professor $10m after falsely accusing her of ‘orchestrating’ Idaho murders
A true crime TikToker who used her self-professed ‘psychic abilities’ to falsely accuse a University of Idaho professor of masterminding the murders of four students in November 2022 now owes the academic $10million.
Ashley Guillard, 41, was told to hand over the sum Friday after the court found her more than 100 videos about University of Idaho history department head Rebecca Scofield to be defamatory earlier this year.
The Texas-based influencer took to TikTok shortly thereafter to decry the decision, alleging bias on the part of jurors and that she had an unfair trial. She doubled down on her defense.
Guillard presented her final argument while representing herself last week.
She told jurors of Scofield: ‘It is reasonable in my shoes that I believe Scofield to be a part of these murders. Any suggestion that her life was interrupted was her own choice.’
The jury in the professor’s damages trial last week saw things differently, taking less than two hours to come to their decision.
Scofield had described the emotional toll of seeing her name linked to the case in Guillard’s steady stream of videos earlier in the week.
Several were posted before the real culprit, grad student Bryan Kohberger, was arrested in December 2022.
Ashley Guillard , 41, was told to hand over $10million Friday after falsely accusing a professor of masterminding the murders of four University of Idaho students in November 2022
The court found her more than 100 videos about University of Idaho history department head Rebecca Scofield were defamatory earlier this year
‘There was a moment where it felt like I lost ownership of my face and my name, and it was no longer stitched to my body,’ Scofield, 40, said during her testimony.
She compared seeing the TikToker’s content to reading the plot of a book or movie – but being one of the main characters and having zero control of the outcome.
Scofield’s lead attorney, Wendy Olson, said Guillard ultimately made 112 videos about the University of Idaho murders in her closing argument. She called Scofield’s experience a nightmare that ‘has never ended.’
‘We felt personally targeted,’ Scofield added of herself and her family, raising her voice at Guillard at times as she spoke.
‘It felt like our children’s lives were directly threatened – that my name was being thrown around by you saying horrific accusations that were fully baseless and not even from the community we were settled in,’ the Emmett, Idaho, native said.
‘It felt like an attack from the outside.’
The history professor had argued that she incurred costs from Guillard’s false claims – having to install a security system and security cameras at her residence in Moscow.
The home is not far from where 21-year-old Kaylee Goncalves, her roommates Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle, and Kernodle’s boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, were all killed.
Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen (left) and Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle (right) were murdered by Bryan Kohberger on November 13, 2022. Guillard claimed the history department chair ordered the killings to prevent an affair she had with one of the victims
Guillard presented her final defense Friday. She represented herself during proceedings. How exactly she will pay the sum has yet to be specified
A judge found Guillard liable for defamation in June. Last week’s proceedings were meant to determine punitive damages to be paid to the plaintiff.
The seven-member jury, composed of four women and three men, ruled unanimously for the $10million figure on Friday.
The bulk of the sum – $7.5 million – is for punitive damages, designed to punish the defendant and deter similar behavior. The rest was classified as ‘compensatory,’ meaning they covered real costs. It is unclear if Guillard has the means to pay the enormous amount.
Scofield initially asked for $1.8million, meaning jurors awarded her far more than desired.
In a statement, Scofield expressed gratitude to the jury for the verdict.
‘I want to thank the jury for their time and attention to this case… The $10 million verdict reinforces the judge’s decision and sends the clear message that false statements online have consequences in the real world for real people and are unacceptable in our community,’ Scofield said.
Guillard claimed Scofield ordered the killings to prevent an affair she had with one of the victims, Goncalves, from going public.
Two of the TikToks directly stated Scofield ordered Goncalves’s execution, even though the academic was completely innocent of any wrongdoing.
Kohberger pleaded guilty to the killings in an Ada County courthouse in July of last year. He is currently serving four consecutive life sentences
In a statement, Scofield expressed gratitude to the jury for the verdict – one of the costliest judgments in state history
Goncalves’ two roommates and Kernodle’s boyfriend were ordered to be hit as well, Guillard maintained.
As Kohberger initially evaded police, the content continued.
A series of cease-and-desist letters and the December 2022 defamation suit followed. Kohberger, 31, was cuffed by cops after traveling to Pennsylvania, days later. He has since confessed. He was sentenced to life in prison last year.
Guillard previously said Scofield would ‘regret’ filing the suit in one of her many TikToks. How she will pay the sum has yet to be specified.
