Funviralpark A history professor at the University of Idaho is suing a cyber investigator for defamation after accusing her of involvement in a campus murder last month.
TikTok personality Ashley Gillard has accused associate professor and history dean Rebecca Scofield of murdering four students at a university in Moscow, Idaho. It points to numerous videos posted on the platform that attempt to link it to the killings.
“The statements made about Professor Scofield are false, plain and simple,” Schofield’s attorney, Wendy Jolson, told Fox News Digital in a statement. statement poses a safety hazard for the professor and his family.”
“It further exacerbates the trauma families of victims are experiencing and undermines law enforcement efforts to find those responsible to provide answers to families and the public,” the statement continued. . “Professor Schofield has sent Ms. Gillard two cease and desist letters, but Ms. Gillard continues to make false statements, knowing they are false.”
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A memorial to the murdered student at the University of Idaho is covered in snow Monday, November 28, 2022. A memorial service honors the victims of his four murders in his off-campus home on November 13th.
(Derek Shook of Fox News Digital)
“Thus, this lawsuit became necessary to protect Professor Schofield’s safety and her reputation.”
Gillard posted a video addressing the lawsuit on Friday, saying “I won’t stop” and why Schofield needed three lawyers to sue her “when she’s so innocent.” was questioned.
Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin were stabbed to death inside a three-story house between 3:00 and 4:00 am on November 13. Victims were found on his second floor and her third floor. Police said he slept on the ground floor during the attack.
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The lawsuit alleges that Gillard began posting on Nov. 24, directly accusing Schofield, saying the professor was “involved in an affair with KG, one of the murdered students.” ing. [Kaylee Goncalves].”
Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Carnodol, 20, Madison Morgen, 21, Cary Goncalves, 21, and two other roommates of the woman in Cary Goncalves’ last Instagram post was shared the day before the killing.
(@kayleegoncalves/Instagram)
“Around November 28, 2022, Gillard posted six TikTok videos on his account, falsely claiming that Professor Schofield, the head of the history department, was responsible for the deaths of four students.” said the lawsuit. “Two of the TikToks directly and falsely state that Professor Scofield ordered the execution of four of his students. falsely implied or directly stated that he was involved in a relationship with KG, one of his
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Scofield began working at the university in 2016 and will be chair of the department in 2021. According to an Idaho politician, the lawsuit states that Schofield was in Portland visiting friends at the time of the killings and never told or met any of the victims.
A State Police forensic scientist searches for clues in Moscow, Idaho, Monday, November 21, 2022. His four University of Idaho students were murdered in this house on November 13th.
(Derek Shook of Fox News Digital)
“She fears for her life and that of her family,” the complaint reads. “She covers the costs of installing security systems and surveillance cameras in her home, among other things. I am afraid that it will become
Moscow police have yet to name a suspect and have had to take time to control the rumors and theories circulating about the murder. It includes a section called “Rumor Control” that aims to quell rumors about possible murderers, victims or perpetrators circulating online.
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Officials warned that law enforcement officers are monitoring rumors on social media, saying in a Dec. 9 press release:[a]Anyone threatening or harassing us in person, online, or otherwise should understand that they may be subject to criminal liability. ”
Fox News Digital’s Rebecca Rosenberg and Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
