TikTok psychic seeks relief from $10m verdict for false claims in Idaho student murders

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A self-proclaimed psychic who successful TikTok videos falsely accused a University of Idaho professor of being progressive successful nan murders of four of nan school’s students successful 2022 is appealing for alleviation aft a civilian tribunal assemblage ordered her to salary $10m successful damages to nan educator.

In a caller ineligible filing that she prepared herself, tarot paper scholar Ashley Guillard called nan lawsuit brought against her by history professor Rebecca Scofield “fraudulent” and asked nan national tribunal successful Idaho wherever a assemblage delivered a verdict against her to group speech nan judgment.

A abstracted filing by Guillard besides served announcement that she would entreaty nan result of Scofield’s suit to nan ninth US circuit tribunal of appeals successful San Francisco, which handles national cases from Idaho.

Many person interpreted nan lawsuit pitting Scofield against Guillard arsenic an lawsuit of true-crime contented creation tally amok, highlighted by nan truth that it was a criminology postgraduate student from Washington authorities named Bryan Kohberger – not nan plaintiff – who yet pleaded blameworthy to nan 13 November 2022 murders of Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Kaylee Goncalves astatine a location successful Moscow, Idaho.

Before authorities arrested Kohberger successful precocious December 2022 successful relationship pinch nan victims’ sadistic stabbing deaths, Guillard published videos connected nan TikTok level baselessly alleging Scofield had engaged successful a romance pinch 1 of nan 4 group slain.

Guillard – who is simply a resident of Houston, Texas, and described herself arsenic a psychic crime solver connected her TikTok relationship – accused Scofield connected camera of ordering nan quadruple execution to hide her narration pinch 1 of nan victims. She cited tarot paper readings arsenic grounds to support her unfounded theory.

“REBECCA WAS THE ONE TO INITIATE THE PLAN,” Guillard stated successful 1 video. In another, she maintained: “Rebecca Scofield is going to situation for nan execution of nan 4 University of Idaho Students whether you for illustration it aliases not.”

Scofield sued Guillard for defamation connected 21 December 2022, saying she feared that she and her family could beryllium targeted pinch beingness unit arsenic a consequence of nan videos. She besides pointed retired that she had ne'er moreover met immoderate of nan victims, whose slayings attracted world news media attention.

Guillard initially responded pinch taunts connected TikTok, stating that she was “ON FIRE pinch excitement!”

“SEE YOU IN COURT REBECCA SCOFIELD,” she besides stated connected TikTok – wherever she had moreover sought to return in installments for solving different high-profile murders, including that of musician Takeoff, a personnel of nan rap group Migos.

“You judge you want to do this Rebecca SCOFIELD? This isn’t going to extremity good for you.”

Kohberger pleaded blameworthy to nan murders successful July 2025 and subsequently received a condemnation of life imprisonment.

No 1 other was ever charged pinch a domiciled successful nan killings to which Kohberger admitted carrying retired while he was studying criminal justness astatine Washington State University, little than 10 miles (16km) distant from Moscow. No motive emerged for nan murders, nor is it clear why Kohberger spared 2 roommates who were successful nan home.

Meanwhile, aft a three-day proceedings successful February successful beforehand of nan US magistrate judge Raymond Patricco, a assemblage wished that Guillard owed Scofield for nan mendacious accusations against her.

The assemblage recovered Guillard – who represented herself – needed to compensate Scofield for $2.5m successful financial hardships resulting from her lies, on pinch different $7.5m for punitive damages.

In March, attorneys for Scofield besides moved for Guillard to salary much than $165,000 successful fees for their practice of nan plaintiff, arsenic nan Idaho Statesman first reported.

Guillard requested alleviation from nan proceedings judgement and revenge her appellate announcement connected 6 April. The ninth US circuit marked nan announcement of entreaty arsenic received connected Thursday.

Those filings from Guillard based on that nan verdict against her didn’t “align pinch nan grounds aliases facts of nan case”.

“Unfortunately … I person to appeal,” Guillard added, contempt – arsenic she put it – having hoped “that we each could move on”.

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Source theguardian.com
theguardian.com