Police rule out Idaho professor suing TikToker over allegations in student slayings - NBC News

Police investigating the fatal stabbings of 4 University of Idaho students are denying a professor's engagement successful the unsolved lawsuit aft a self-described net sleuth and Tarot paper scholar posted accusations connected TikTok claiming a connection.

"At this clip successful the investigation, detectives bash not judge the pistillate subordinate prof and seat of the past section astatine the University of Idaho suing a TikTok idiosyncratic for defamation is progressive successful this crime," constabulary successful Moscow, Idaho, said Tuesday.

The constabulary connection successful defence of the professor, Rebecca Scofield, is lone the latest effort by investigators to tamp down baseless allegations and distractions that person sprung up successful the lack of an apprehension pursuing the find of the slayings Nov. 13.

In an effort to wide her name, Scofield filed a national suit past week against Ashley Guillard, the Texas pistillate who posted accusations connected TikTok that the prof planned the killings with different University of Idaho student.

Guillard's TikTok relationship — headlined "Ashley Solves Mysteries" — has much than 110,000 followers and includes dozens of videos astir her thoughts connected the lawsuit and names Scofield, arsenic good arsenic a erstwhile fellow of 1 of the victims.

In effect to Moscow constabulary saying Scofield has nary nexus to the homicides, Guillard told NBC News that she remains committed to speaking astir what she believes happened.

The police's connection "makes it wide to maine that I americium needed to assistance lick this case," Guillard said successful an email. "The suit is indispensable due to the fact that it gives maine a ineligible basis to subpoena empirical evidence."

The TikTok videos began appearing connected the level Nov. 24 and person been viewed millions of times, according to Scofield's suit, which says Guillard claims to lick high-profile murders utilizing Tarot cards and by "performing different readings."

Scofield began moving astatine the assemblage successful 2016 and ne'er met the slain students nor had immoderate of them ever taken a people with her, according to the suit. She says she was with her hubby successful Portland, Oregon, visiting friends erstwhile the students were killed.

After a lawyer for Scofield sent a cease-and-desist missive to Guillard connected Nov. 29, she kept posting what the suit calls defamatory videos. After sending a 2nd specified missive Dec. 8, Guillard showed the papers successful a TikTok video and said Scofield would request to "file existent ineligible documents successful a national court" asking her to region them, the suit says.

The Moscow Police Department said successful a quality merchandise Tuesday that it would not remark connected the litigation.

Guillard doubled down connected her claims successful a video posted Sunday connected TikTok, telling followers that she has carnal grounds validating "everything I've said astir her, but I can't talk connected it present due to the fact that it has to hold for court."

An lawyer for Scofield said successful a connection that the accusations made by Guillard person created "safety issues" for her client, who has had to instal a information strategy astatine her home.

"They besides further compound the trauma that the families of the victims are experiencing and undermine instrumentality enforcement efforts to find the radical liable successful bid to supply answers to the families and the public," the connection said.

Authorities haven't identified immoderate suspects successful the killings of Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20, who were recovered successful an off-campus location that the 3 young women shared. The weapon, which constabulary judge to beryllium a ample knife, has besides not been located.