A TikToker who claimed that a University of Idaho professor was the real culprit in the Bryan Kohberger murders has every intention of appealing the judgment against her.
Ashley Guillard, who hails from Houston, Texas, had accused Rebecca Scofield of having a hand in the murders to prevent an alleged affair with one of the victims from becoming public.
She was sued by the Idaho professor for civil defamation and was ordered to pay $10 million after losing the case. The social media influencer now plans to appeal as she believes the verdict wasn’t fair and impartial.
The TikToker Claims The Ruling Against Her Was Unfair
As Bryan Kohberger continues serving life sentences for the murders of four students in Idaho, Ashley Guillard, who used the case to gain traction, is now desperately trying to escape the fallout after being found guilty in a defamation lawsuit.
For much of the time Kohberger was yet to be arrested, Guillard released several videos in which she accused Idaho University professor Rebecca Scofield of orchestrating the murders of 21-year-old Kaylee Goncalves, and three other individuals in an off-campus home in November 2022.
Ultimately, Kohberger was arrested and later pleaded guilty to the crimes, while Guillard lost the civil defamation suit Scofield brought against her in December of that year.
She now plans to appeal while slamming the $10 million verdict against her as unfair.
“Unfortunately, because the verdict doesn’t align with the evidence or facts of the case, I have to appeal,” Guillard said in a statement to The Idaho Statesman. “I was hoping for a fair and impartial verdict so that we all could move on.”
How The TikToker Falsely Accused An Idaho University Professor Of Bryan Kohberger’s Murders
In her claims against Scofield, Guillard said she used her self-professed “psychic abilities” to identify Scofield as the Idaho serial killer.
She made more than 100 videos linking the University of Idaho professor to the crime, including one in which she claimed Scofield ordered the killings to prevent an affair she allegedly had with Goncalves from becoming public.
A series of cease-and-desist letters at the time didn’t stop Guillard from continuing to push her narrative, and even after she was hit with the defamation suit, she boldly posted in a TikTok video that Scofield would “regret” it.
Guillard also brazenly represented herself at her trial in February and appeared to downplay her actions when she took the stand at the time.
“Claircognizance – we work with intuition, not fact. The facts are the job of law enforcement, not a psychic,” she told the court.
The Idaho Professor Slammed The Tiktoker For Falsely Accusing Her
Just like Guillard, Scofield also testified in court, explaining how much of a toll the TikToker’s accusations took on her and her family.
“It was like a stone on my chest that was not crushing me, it was dissolving me,” the professor said. “I was unraveling underneath the weight of it.”
According to Scofield, she and her family felt “personally targeted” by Guillard’s claims, which she slammed as baseless.
“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. It felt like an attack from the outside,” she noted.
For now, neither Scofield nor her lawyers has responded to Guillard’s decision to appeal. Still, a briefing deadline for the appeal has been set for July later this year.
Where Is Bryan Kohberger?
In July 2025, Kohberger pleaded guilty to the Idaho murders and was later sentenced to four consecutive life terms without parole, plus an additional 10 years for burglary for the Idaho murders.
His plea deal removed the death penalty from consideration but ensured he would spend the rest of his life in prison, as it also included waivers limiting his ability to appeal.
At the moment, he is incarcerated at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution, where he has made several complaints about his treatment by staff and inmates.
The Idaho Killer Has Been Having Difficulty Adjusting To His New Life
Shortly after Kohberger’s sentencing, he filed a request for a prison transfer, claiming harassment and verbal threats from other inmates as his reasons.
He has also threatened self-harm and complained about minor grievances, such as the food provided.
Speaking on Kohberger, Pulitzer-nominated investigative reporter Howard Blum addressed why the killer was finding it hard to adjust to life behind bars.
“Murder is about control,” Blum told the Daily Mail. “And prison is the ultimate situation where you have no control. He’s not responding well to that.”