#2022 university of idaho killings

[ammg-old2]

When I arrived in Moscow in February, the initial media circus had passed. Bryan Kohberger had been arrested six weeks earlier for the murders of four students—Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin—and the judge had placed a gag order on everyone involved in the case. The news trucks would return once the trial got under way, but for now things were relatively quiet. (Kohberger chose not to enter a plea last month, in effect pleading not guilty.)

I’d been drawn to the town, like everyone else, by the eerie facts of the murders and the still-eerier profile of the suspect, a former criminology student at nearby Washington State University. The details already in circulation were chilling. A car resembling Kohberger’s white Hyundai Elantra could be seen on surveillance videos driving by the house several times shortly before the attacks. Police linked his DNA to a leather knife sheath left on a bed, and his phone history suggested that he’d been near the house 12 times in the preceding months. Once I got to Moscow, however, I found myself fixating less on the crime than on its aftermath—the wreckage left behind when the media and the sleuths had cleared out.

Located on Idaho’s eastern border, Moscow is known around the state for a certain mountain-hippie vibe. Students joke that the town is permanently “stuck in the ’70s.” It has a lively folk-dance scene and an independent theater that shows classic horror films. Main Street is lined with brown-brick buildings that house quirky small businesses including Ampersand, a purveyor of boutique olive oil, and the Breakfast Club, known for its “world-famous cinnamon roll pancakes.”

But even months after the murders, the town seemed traumatized. No one wanted to talk about the case, on the record or off. When I introduced myself as a reporter, people recoiled. My efforts to talk with the victims’ neighbors were met with exasperation and anger. At one door, I found a sign that read simply, WE HAVE NO STATEMENT. LEAVE US ALONE. Eventually I resorted to writing apologetic notes with my phone number and leaving them on windshields and doorsteps. Nobody called.

At the offices of the University of Idaho campus paper, The Argonaut, I found a masthead’s worth of student journalists glumly disillusioned with journalism. Months of unseemly behavior by a scoop-desperate press corps had dimmed their view of the profession. They’d seen cameramen hide in bushes on campus, and reporters try to sneak into dorms. They’d seen TV correspondents shout hostile questions at teenagers still processing their classmates’ deaths as if the kids were prevaricating politicians. In one notably unsavory episode, a tabloid photographer tracked down one of the roommates who’d survived the attack that night and took paparazzi-like photos at her parents’ house for the Daily Mail.

Abigail Spencer, a reporter for The Argonaut, told me that she was struggling to square the heroic stories she’d learned in journalism classes with the reporters who’d invaded her campus. “We’re taught they’re all Cronkite,” she said. “They’re not.”

Haadiya Tariq, who was the paper’s editor, told me the rude behavior had helped her understand the wider antipathy toward the press. “No wonder people hate you,” she sometimes found herself thinking. She was alarmed by the extent to which professional news outlets appeared to deliberately stoke the online ecosystem of conspiracy theories about the case. The TV-news bookers always seemed so nice and thoughtful when they were asking for interviews. But once the cameras turned on, Tariq told me, the questions were invariably aimed at getting her to theorize about the murders in a way that might get traction in the true-crime forums. Experiencing this had helped her understand why so much of the coverage felt “weird or inaccurate or sensational”: “It is 100 percent trying to feed the audience, which is the internet sleuths,” she told me. “That’s kind of the dirty secret I’m starting to realize.” Perhaps more disturbing than the vulturous reporters or the vortex of TikTok speculation was the way the media and the sleuths seemed to encourage and sustain each other—their priorities converging in a vicious ouroboros.

Meanwhile, some unlucky Moscow residents were still struggling to reassemble their lives after becoming main characters in murder-related conspiracy theories. Rebecca Scofield, a history professor at the University of Idaho, was suing the TikToker who’d accused her of plotting the students’ murders because of a (completely fabricated) love affair with Kaylee Goncalves. (The TikToker denied any wrongdoing, and police have said that Scofield was not a suspect.) Friends of a recently deceased Afghanistan veteran were fending off ghoulish speculation on social media that he was involved in the crime.

Jeremy Reagan, a law student who lived in the victims’ neighborhood, became a target when he gave a handful of TV interviews about the murders. Sleuths studied his body language and parsed his facial expressions.

“It reminds me of Ted Bundy when he would talk about murders,” one observed.

“Very disconcerting,” another said.

Soon, they started mining Reagan’s Facebook profile for clues. A bandage on his right hand was treated as especially incriminating—how did he cut himself? Same with a four-year-old Facebook post that mentioned a rave. “Guys at raves ‘chase women’ and ‘do drugs,’ many things to note,” one sleuth deduced. “The girls partied, he mentioned that. Did he try to party with them? Did he actually party with them? Was he turned down by them?’”

Reagan, hoping to clear his name, volunteered to take a DNA test. The police never named him as a suspect. But the online sleuths kept digging—even contacting his friends for intel—and the menacing messages from strangers kept piling up. Reagan started carrying a gun.

“Just having it on me gives that extra sense of security,” he said in a cable-news interview. “Especially now, where the cybersleuths may or may not come.”

[queer-media-tourney]

Here are all 64 round 1 polls:

Rent vs Orphan Black

Heartstopper vs Orange is the New Black

Carol (2015) vs Bugsnax

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern vs Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Fienburg

Red, White and Royal Blue vs This is how you lose the time war by Amar el-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

Our Flag means Death vs Always human by Ari North

The last of us two vs On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden

Heartbreak High vs Shameless

Undertale vs The Handmaiden

Young Royals vs Revolutionary Girl Utena

Sens8 vs Carry on by Rainbow Rowell

Bee and puppycat vs The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Yuri on Ice vs Ranma ½

Q-force vs Feel Good

Torchwood vs The interview with a Vampire (2022)

Homestuck vs Good Omens

Some like it hot vs Killing Eve

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off vs Bound (1996)

It's a sin vs Magnus Chase by Rick Riordan

Doctor Who vs Portrait of a young lady on fire

Steven Universe vs Saltburn

Xena Warrior Princess vs Cyberpunk 2077

Welcome to Nightvale vs Schitt's creek

Night in the woods vs A league Of their own

Lisa Frankenstein vs The boys in the band (1970)

Black Sails vs Owl House

Hannibal vs The Traitor Baru Cormorant

Bottoms vs The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir

The picture of Dorian Grey vs Adventure time

The Sandman (comic) vs Supernatural

Maurice (1987) vs Hazbin Hotel

Nimona vs Love Simon

Epithet Erased vs What we do in the shadows

Buffy the Vampire Slayer vs The Other Two

One Day at a time (2017) vs Falsettos

She-ra and the princesses of power vs Dykes to Watch Out for

Celluloid Closet vs Harley Quinn

But I'm a cheerleader vs Vida

Angels In America vs Glee

Hooky by Míriam Bonastre Tur vs They both die in the end by Adam Silvera

Will and Grace vs Paris is Burning

Sanders Sides vs The Magnus Archives

The L word vs Goncharov

Queer as Folk vs Paper Girls

Boys don't cry vs Dracula

All of us strangers vs Yellow jackets

The Song of Achilles vs D.E.B.S

Brokeback Mountain vs Dead end: paranormal park

Carmilla vs Pride (2014)

The Bifrost Incident vs Pink Flamingos

Call me by your name vs Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Grishaverse vs Roswell New Mexico

Riverdale vs We Know the Devil

Stardew Valley vs Pose

Disco Elysium vs Different For girls

Banana fish vs my own private Idaho

Celeste vs Tales of the City, by Armistead Maupin

Everything Everywhere all at once vs Outer Wilds

To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar vs Victor/Victoria

Moonlight vs Stranger things

The birdcage vs Midnight Cowboy

The Watermelon Woman vs The Ritz

The haunting of Bly Manor vs Epic of Gilgamesh

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel vs How to survive a plague

[divinesymmetry]

Kicking off Pride Month with a list of the best Queer movies I've seen:

Paris is Burning (1990): an absolute MUST WATCH for every single queer person

Fire Island (2022): Bowen Yang, Joel Kim Booster, Margaret Cho and Pride and Prejudice, what's there not to love??

But I'm a Cheerleader (1999): Natasha Lyone and Clean Duvall do gay stuff together, RuPaul plays an ex-gay, need i say more?

Maurice (1987): the dark academia gay period piece of our dreams (plus Hugh Grant???)

Dating Amber (2020): one word - ireland (see also: Handsome Devil)

Nowhere (1997): if you're not saying "huh?" you're not watching it right

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) is the absolute basis for camp

Moonlight (2016) needs no introduction

Été 85 (2020): gays on motorcycles cinematic universe

Fear Street Trilogy (2021) and Bodies, Bodies, Bodies (2022) because lesbians can kill, too

Edge of Seventeen (1998): what is gayer than a bad bleach job?

God's Own Country (2017)

The Watermelon Woman (1996): absolutely underrated classic

The Thing About Harry (2020), Alex Strangelove (2018), Crush (2022), Bros (2022) because we deserve dumb lil rom coms

120 Battements par Minute (2017), Arrête avec Tes Mensonges (2023), Pariah (2011), My Own Private Idaho (1991), for when you just wanna sob uncontrollably

Happy Pride ! 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈

[dailyunsolvedmysteries]

Suspect Arrested in Killings of 4 College Students in Moscow, Idaho

The man arrested over the brutal murders of four University of Idaho students has been named as Bryan Kohberger.

A SWAT team entered the location in Pennsylvania where Kohberger, 28, was staying and took him into custody around 3 a.m. today (30 December 2022). Police also seized a white Hyundai Elantra matching the description of a car police had being trying to locate from the scene of the murders.

Online records indicate Kohberger appears to have been pursuing a doctorate in criminal justice at Washington State University in Pullman, less than 10 miles from Moscow. Shortly after his arrest, the university took down a grad student page listing his name. A man with the same name is also listed as having received a master of arts in criminal justice from DeSales University in Center Valley, Pa., in 2022.

While at DeSales, Kohberger allegedly posted in a Reddit community for former prisoners to ask for help with a research survey about “how emotions and psychological traits influence decision-making when committing a crime.” The post, which identified Kohberger as the “student investigator,” was purportedly interested in “the story behind your most recent criminal offense, with an emphasis on your thoughts and feelings throughout your experience.”

Kohberger appeared briefly in a Monroe County court friday morning. Records showed he was ordered held without bail and is due to be extradited after a hearing on Jan. 3.

His arrest comes almost seven weeks after Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, were stabbed to death in their beds as they slept in their off-campus home on Nov. 13. The murders were the first in Moscow in seven years and have rocked the small college community. Earlier this week, police confirmed they were sifting through 20,000 tips in connection with the case.

Police say the four students were murdered sometime between 3 and 4 a.m. but they were not discovered until hours later after roommates Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke became worried they could not reach their friends and called police, who made the grim discovery.

The Moscow Police Department, in conjunction with the FBI and investigators from the University of Idaho, is set to hold a press conference to address developments in the case at 1 p.m. local time Friday.

Meanwhile, a professional crime-scene clean up crew arrived on Friday at the home at 1122 King Road in Moscow where the stabbings occurred, but police stopped them from entering the house due to the developments in the case. After the conclusion of the investigation, it is unclear if the three-story house will be demolished or re-listed by the property owner.

[follow-up-news]

An Idaho judge ruled Monday to move the upcoming murder trial of Bryan Kohberger, the man charged with killing four University of Idaho students in 2022, due to concerns that the local community in Moscow is prejudiced against him. “Considering the undisputed evidence presented by the defense, the extreme nature of the news coverage in this case, and the smaller population in Latah County, the defense has met the rather low standard of demonstrating ‘reasonable likelihood’ that prejudicial news coverage will compromise a fair trial in Latah County,” the judge wrote in the order granting the change. Kohberger’s defense team had requested to move the case out of town, saying in a recent memorandum and August hearing that he can’t receive a fair trial in Latah County because of “inflammatory��� publicity. But prosecutors rejected that argument, saying the court could put in place other measures to ensure a fair trial. Judge John Judge sided with the defense in Monday’s change of venue ruling.

[astonishinglegends]

Ep 268: Your True Halloween Stories II – Part 2

"So I believe that through my work, I've experienced incredibly positive things. I've experienced the veil very, very thin, and I've experienced what I would call angelic visitations. But if I believe in that, then I have to believe in the other."  -- Hospice Social Worker "Rachal," from story #3

Description:

We hope your sleep has recovered after last week's round of creepy and unsettling accounts. Now, we aim to disquiet your peace with another three! Our first story comes from Megan, whose family has a history of experiencing items showing up in unexpected places. But when a letter is delivered to a vulnerable location, we wonder if it came from someone still Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Note. Our next guest, Chad, has stories showing that growing up in Ohio can be Weird on Both Ends, with High Strangeness in the Middle. In the final narrative, Rachal, a Hospice social worker, had a patient whose reconnection with a Life Leech proved to be an exhausting experience. Join us if you dare for Part 2 of Your True Halloween Stories II, and rest easy if your life is pleasantly unremarkable.  😈

Reference Links:

CLICK HERE to listen to “Astonishing Al’s Mix Tape” on Spotify

CLICK HERE to listen to “Astonishing Legends Creepit” – a curated collection of our creepiest episodes on Spotify!

“Professor-student romance ends in murder-suicide” from NBCNews.com

“Ernesto Bustamante, Former Idaho Professor, Kills Self After Allegedly Murdering Student Katy Benoit” from HuffPost.com

“2022 University of Idaho killings” on Wikipedia

The Village of Ada, Ohio’s website, www.adaoh.org

The Village of Ada, Ohio’s Wikipedia entry

The Reagle Beagle on Yelp.com

“The Role and Responsibilities of a Hospice Social Worker” from Regis College

Location:

The village of Ada, Ohio, where Chad had his brushes with High Strangeness.

Suggested Listening:

Badlands

Badlands is an anthology series that blends history and true crime to tell the transgressive stories of some of the biggest names in Hollywood. This is not the Hollywood history you’ve heard before. These are uncensored, immersive, edge-of-your-seat storytelling. Host Jake Brennan, creator and host of the award-winning music and true crime podcast DISGRACELAND, explores the most insane stories surrounding the world’s most interesting Hollywood icons. Badlands has covered many actors, directors, and more, including the mysterious deaths of Marilyn Monroe and Natalie Wood... Tim Allen’s former career as a low-level drug dealer... the curse of the movie Poltergeist... how porn star John Holmes got caught up in the infamous Wonderland murders... and more episodes on Winona Ryder, Johnny Depp, River Phoenix, Gianni Versace, Robin Williams, Heath Ledger, Sharon Tate, Robert Downey Jr., and so many more. New episodes of Badlands are released every Wednesday, with bonus episodes released every Friday. Subscribe to Badlands on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the iHeartRadio app, AmazonMusic, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Opening the Doors

Hear Forrest as a guest on our good friend Bradley Netherton’s podcast, Opening the Doors, all about the legendary band with Jim Morrison! This episode covers all the mentions of The Doors on The Simpsons animated series.

KLU Podcast – Keep Looking up

CLICK HERE for Persephone Holloway’s podcast, KLU “Keep Looking Up” on Podbean

Persephone May Holloway’s music on Spotify

Southern gothic podcast

Listen to our good friend Brandon Schexnayder’s Southern Gothic podcast, featuring Forrest narrating Edgar Allen Poe’s poem, Annabelle Lee

Find us on YouTube!

Click this text to find all Astonishing Legends episodes and more on our Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/Astonishinglegends

Join us on Patreon!

Click HERE or go to patreon.com/astonishinglegends to become one of our Patreon members and receive exclusive offerings, like our bonus Astonishing Junk Drawer episodes (posted every weekend the main show is dark) commercial-free episodes, and more!

SPECIAL OFFERS FROM OUR SPECIAL SPONSORS:

FIND OTHER GREAT DEALS FROM OUR SHOW’S SPONSORS BY CLICKING HERE!

CREDITS:

Episode 268: Your True Halloween Stories II – Part 2. Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Audio Editing by Sarah Vorhees Wendel of VW Sound. Music and Sound Design by Allen Carrescia. Tess Pfeifle, Producer and Lead Researcher. Ed Voccola, Technical Producer. Research Support from The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright 2023 Astonishing Legends Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

[dramyhsturgis]

Dark Academia Works Inspired by True Crime Cases?

Hello, all! I am looking for recommendations of Dark Academia works (novels, short stories, films, television series) based on true crime. I would be grateful for any suggestions for my list. Thank you!

I am intentionally casting my net widely, defining the Dark Academic genre (as opposed to the aesthetic) as one that focuses on an academic setting and educational experience, employs Gothic modes of storytelling, cultivates a dark mood by contemplating the subject of death, and offers critique for interrogating imbalances and abuses of power.*

Below the cut is my current list of Dark Academia Works Inspired by True Crime Cases. All suggestions are welcome!

Dark Academia Works Inspired/Informed by True Crime Cases

Note 1: “True crime” is defined here as a specific case (for example, a murder or missing person’s case), not as a larger historical event (for example, the Salem Witch Trials or the Opium Wars) or an amalgam of cases (for example, general hazing in fraternities). Note 2: This list is in chronological order based on the true crime case. Note 3: Some works that aren't fully DA but incorporate DA sections are included.

TRUE CRIME: 1897 disappearance of student Bertha Mellish from Mount Holyoke College DA novels: The Button Field by Gail Husch (2014) Killingly by Katharine Beutner (2023)

TRUE CRIME: 1924 killing of Bobby Franks by University of Chicago students Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb DA Novels: Compulsion by Meyer Levin (1956) Nothing but the Night by James Yaffe (1957) Little Brother Fate by Mary-Carter Roberts (1957) These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever (2020) Hollow Fires by Samira Ahmed (2022) Jazzed by Jill Dearman (2022) DA films: Rope (1948), Compulsion (1959), and Murder by Numbers (2002)

TRUE CRIME: 1932 kidnapping and killing of Charles Lindbergh, Jr.; 1933 kidnapping and killing of Brooke Hart; and 1932-1934 crime spree of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow DA novels: Truly Devious books by Maureen Johnson (especially the first trilogy, 2018-2020)

TRUE CRIME: 1944 killing of David Kammerer by Columbia University student Lucien Carr DA film: Kill Your Darlings (2013)

TRUE CRIME: 1946 disappearance of student Paula Jean Welden from Bennington College DA novels: Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson (1951) Last Seen Wearing by Hillary Waugh (1952) The Secret History by Donna Tartt (1992) Shirley by Susan Scarf Merrell (2014) Quantum Girl Theory by Erin Kate Ryan (2022)

TRUE CRIME: 1973 killing of student Cynthia Hellman at Randolph-Macon Women’s College DA novel: Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison (2019)

TRUE CRIME: 1978 killing of students Margaret Bowman and Lisa Levy and attack of students Kathy Kleiner and Karen Chandler by Ted Bundy at Florida State University DA novel: Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll (2023)

TRUE CRIME: 1985 killing of Derek and Nancy Haysom by University of Virginia students Elizabeth Haysom and Jens Söring DA novel: With a Kiss We Die by L.R. Dorn (2023)

TRUE CRIME: 1999 killing of student Hae Min Lee from Woodlawn High School (by Adnan Syed? debated) DA novel: I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai (2023)

TRUE CRIME: 2022 killing of students Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin from the University of Idaho (by Washington State University student Bryan Kohberger? currently awaiting trial) DA novel: This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead (2025)

*(I go into this definition in further detail in my segment here on the StarShipSofa podcast, my graduate course on Dark Academia, and my 2023 academic essay "Dark Arts and Secret Histories: Investigating Dark Academia.")

[parttimereporter]

The trial against Bryan Kohberger, the man charged with killing four University of Idaho students in 2022, will be moved to the county surrounding the state capital of Boise, the Idaho Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

District Judge Steve Hippler will take on the case in Ada County, the court said. Kohberger will be transferred “forthwith” to the custody of the Ada County Sheriff, the court ruled.

[lavelled]

how it dwells.

I’m used to celebrities giving a subtle nod to my predicament, but never has an actor become internationally famous for acting, in feminist terms, like a megawatted asshole.

Team Rachel 623: Your pearl-clutching, hospital-corner, sorority-hazing client must be numb to morality. This is some sick cruel stuff. I had a cousin share personal items without knowledge or consent. And share he did. This is worse. Is the rental accomplice just passing through? I think I can writerly outrun you.

She and her Team have benefitted from a decades-old wellspring imprisonment, pushed their climber toward even more notoriety with a regal marriage to none other than enemy number one, allowed disturbingly theatrical speeches on ivory tower racism and hardship, both of which are untrue and unladylike, and showed contentment only for professional births and payday.

Her Hallmark movie, Dater’s Handbook. The title alone. 8. Jail. Booked. Oh, the lucky break of forging career mileage in code fluency. I don’t understand the decision, as a 40-something, to do the flippity flipping flipsters act, yet has sex with the ghost of the rapey man who stole my life, gets wedded to him, does rockstar crowd greets and magazine covers, accepts awards, and has his babies.

This isn’t a job. It’s life.

And her lying evil husband took away my life choices.

Two women with integrity: Chelsy Davy and Cressida Bonas. I’m sure they’re beholden to royal NDA laws. However, their marriages expose your perverse nefarious intentions, their link to a distanced British girl, and how the ending should go.

By and large, the approximation of tragedy is fueled by your family and your wife. From stabbings in Solingen, Germany to NYPD officer, Gregory Purvis, shooting himself last week.

XXXTentacion—the rapper and writer was fatally shot in the Riva Motorsports parking lot in Deerfield Beach, FL. Almost exactly one month after your wedding. June 18, 2018. His debut album was titled 17. He was 20 years old. His little brother, 13, is Aiden Kerr.

Denis Yurievich Ten—the Kazakhstani figure skater and 2014 Olympic Bronze Medalist was stabbed to death in July 2018. Two months after your wedding. Middle name sounds like You’re Rich. He skated beautifully to Gene Kelly’s Singin’ in the Rain at the 2013 Worlds. He was 25.

Yountville Veterans Home—a residential treatment facility for brain injured post-9/11 veterans in California. The gunman, Albert Wong, a former patient, fatally shot three female health workers and then himself. March 9, 2018. Two months before your wedding.

Parkland High School Shooting—happened on Valentine’s Day. February 14, 2018. Three months before your wedding. Seventeen students were killed that day. Ages range from 14-17. The perpetrator was Nikolas Jacob Cruz. Cruz told a psychologist that he committed the shooting on Valentine’s Day because he believed that no one loved him and thus wanted to ruin that day.

Steve Bing—Hollywood financier, founder of Shangri-La Entertainment and Shangri-La Music; produced The Polar Express starring Tom Hanks. On June 22, 2020, he jumped to his death from the 27th floor of the Ten Thousand Building in LA. He said he couldn’t take the lack of human contact during quarantine.

Four students from the University of Idaho were all stabbed to death at their home on King Road in Moscow, Idaho. November 13, 2022. Victims: Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin.

What country can you guys get kicked out of next? Denmark? No. That’s my King Frederik X. Norway? No. That’s my Marius Borg.

The scripted controversy over a Blackamoor brooch in 2017. Google it. I detect an unavoidable Sicilian reference and a concession in there. However, it’s also Harold trying to reinforce marked minor territory, which was collaborated together—despite real hate crimes and a known rape-bed desire—by her team.

As long as Rachel and Harry live better lives than most, including myself, getting richer with no public divorce, they will be flanked by critiques on why the world should tell them to go away.

Hope you had fun; she’s the last woman you’ll touch.

K

[virginiaprelawland]

The Idaho Murders TikTok Psychic Defamation Lawsuit

By Elizabeth Wolnik, George Mason University Class of 2024

April 21, 2024

The infamous “legal sideshow” of the Idaho murders involving a TikTok creator and a history professor has only gotten more complicated and intense as time has gone on. Ashley Guillard, a tarot card reader from Texas, posted a series of TikToks that claimed that University of Idaho history professor Rebecca Scofield was having an affair with one of the victims of the Idaho murders and orchestrated the students’ killings to cover it up [1]. Guillard began her accusations 10 days after Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin were killed in their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho. Despite Guillard’s outrageous and unverified claims, they quickly gained traction online. Guillard claimed that her “spiritual research” led her to the University of Idaho History Department which Scofield chaired. Guillard said she zeroed in on Scofield using “intuitive abilities, spiritual acuity, and investigative skills.” Guillard persistently asserted that Scofield had been romantically involved with one of the victims and enlisted her ex-boyfriend to kill her and her friends. There is no evidence that Scofield and the victim ever knew each other. Scofield’s attorneys sent two cease and desist letters in late 2022 to Guillard, demanding that she stop posting and remove all defamatory TikToks. Guillard refused and posted 20 more videos continuing to paint Scofield as the “mastermind behind the killings.” [1].

Scofield filed a defamation suit against Guillard on December 21, 2022, and insisted that Guillard used “the community’s pain for her online self-promotion” [1]. Guillard continued to make inaccurate claims even after Bryan Kohberger was arrested on December 30, 2022, and was named the primary suspect in the case. In fact, Guillard doubled down on Scofield’s guilt even after Kohberger’s arrest occurred [3]. Guillard claims to have solved several high-profile cases before, including the deaths of Migos rapper Takeoff, businesswoman Shanquella Robinson, and internet personality Kevin Samuels [4].

Rebecca Scofield has taught at the University of Idaho since 2016 and maintains that she was in Portland, Oregon with her husband and friends at the time of the murders [1]. Scofield also states in her lawsuit that none of the victims attended any classes she taught, and she could not recall meeting any of them. As a result of Guillard’s immense online following, Scofield’s name is now linked to the word “murder” in a basic internet search. According to Scofield’s lawsuit, Guillard’s claims have “tarnished” Scofield’s reputation and has made her “the subject of online ridicule and threats from Guillard’s online commentators.” Guillard has also caused Scofield to fear for her family’s safety as well as generating “significant emotional distress.” [1].

Guillard, who is representing herself, claims that she has suffered damages from the publicity of the suit rather than Scofield [6]. Scofield’s attorneys have called Guillard’s comments “increasingly inflammatory.” They go on to state, “Guillard is free to practice any ‘spirituality’ that she likes, but that ‘spirituality’ does not excuse attacking another person’s reputation or warrant using this Court as a platform to harass Professor Scofield, drive up litigation expenses, and further Guillard’s scheme to make ‘millions of dollars.’” Scofield’s attorneys are asking a judge to dismiss Guillard’s counterclaims and award Scofield her attorney’s fees, as well asking for a jury trial [5]. Scofield’s friend and colleague created a GoFundMe to help with the costs associated with the lawsuit [6]. In response, Guillard said, “I’m going to keep posting. I’m not taking anything down. If in the alternate universe, if I was wrong, this is an open and shut case. I did say she ordered the execution of the four University of Idaho students. I’m still posting. I’ve said a lot of things about her. I’m not going to stop. If I’m such a liar, I’m so wrong about it, then in court she will win.” [5].

Guillard has continued to deny that she has defamed Scofield because the accusations are “substantially true” [2]. Determining what is considered defamation is a delicate area of law as the lines between stating an opinion versus stating a fact can be vague [7]. Most defamation cases test the limits of the First Amendment’s guarantees of freedom of speech and press. Fundamentally, defamation is a statement that injures a third party’s reputation and includes both written and spoken statements. While each state varies in their standards for defamation and the potential damages that could result, overall a plaintiff must show four things to prove prima facie (at first sight) defamation. These include: a false statement purporting to be fact, a publication or communication of that statement to a third person, a fault amounting to at least negligence, damages or some harm caused to the reputation of the person or entity that is the subject of the statement [7].   

In her countersuit, Guillard stated that she plans to subpoena Meta for all messages on Scofield’s Facebook and Instagram accounts from June 1, 2021 to the present [1]. Judge Raymond Edward Patricco Jr. criticized this request and called it a “fishing expedition” and a “ready, aim, fire” approach that is not permitted under state law. Judge Patricco ruled to dismiss Guillard’s counterclaim, saying “In short, the pleading requirement does not provide a key to ‘unlock the doors of discovery for a plaintiff armed with nothing more than conclusions’; again, a complaint must be plausible on its face.” [1].

On top of dismissing Guillard’s 11 counterclaims against Scofield and her legal counsel, Judge Patricco granted Scofield’s motion to quash a summons to her counsel [2]. Judge Patricco stated that Guillard’s “‘intuitive abilities, spiritual activity, and investigative skills’ were not enough to allow the Court to infer the existence of a plausible claim against Plaintiff”, therefore each of Guillard’s counterclaims failed as a matter of law. Judge Patricco concluded that Rebecca Scofield’s defamation claim could go forward [2].

Ultimately, this legal battle underscores the need for responsible discourse and the diligent pursuit of truth, both online and within the justice system. The outcome of Rebecca Scofield's lawsuit against Ashely Guillard will not only impact the individuals involved but also set precedents for future cases involving defamation in the digital age.

______________________________________________________________

[1] https://www.huffpost.com/entry/idaho-college-student-killings-defamation-suit_n_64d2b472e4b0b9c9f3e3ef0c

[2] https://reason.com/volokh/2023/11/14/alleged-psychic-intuition-still-isnt-enough-to-make-a-federal-claim-plausible-enough-to-withstand-dismissal/

[3] https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2023/aug/08/judge-dismisses-counterclaims-brought-by-tiktok-ps/#:~:text=A%20federal%20judge%20called%20a,counterclaims%20against%20the%20professor%20Tuesday.

[4] https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/2022/12/a-tiktok-psychic-claimed-to-have-solved-the-university-of-idaho-murders-her-suspect-is-suing.html

[5] https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/12/24/idaho-killings-rebecca-scofield-ashley-guillard-/

[6] https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/special-reports/moscow-murders/tiktok-user-files-counterclaims-against-university-of-idaho-professor-she-accused-in-moscow-murders-rebecca-scofield-ashley-guillard/277-17d41240-a930-4026-81ed-93fb182071c3

[7] https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/defamation

[northeasternpost]

Idaho Killings: Bryan Kohberger’s Alibi Revealed, Case Takes Turn

A court document supporting an alibi defense filed on Wednesday reveals that Bryan Kohberger, who is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022, was out driving the night of the killings, according to his attorney. The defense intends to present a cell phone tower and radio frequency expert to partially corroborate this account. According to the filing, Kohberger was…

[qudachuk]

Owner of property donated it to the University of Idaho, which said that its demolition was a key step towards finding closureDemolition began on Thursday of the house where four University of Idaho students were killed last year, marking...

[queer-media-tourney]

do you have a list of accepted submissions somewhere?

Here is a lost of all competitors and current submissions that have been accepted, we need 1 more submission

Angels In America

Good Omens

A league Of their own

It's a sin

Black Sails

Homestuck

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Celluloid Closet

Owl House

Harley Quinn

Our Flag means Death

They both die in the end by Adam Silvera

Welcome to Nightvale

Magnus Chase by Rick Riordan

Heartstopper

Yuri on Ice

Epithet Erased

One Day at a time (2017)

Portrait of a young lady on fire

Hannibal

Killing Eve

Orphan Black

Sens8

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Bottoms

Bound (1996)

The Traitor Baru Cormorant

Orange is the new black

Shameless

The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir

The boys in the band (1970)

Adventure time

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

Feel Good

The Other Two

Nimona

Revolutionary Girl Utena

Steven Universe

Dykes to Watch Out for

She-ra and the princesses of power

The picture of Dorian Grey

Rent

Maurice (1987)

The interview with a Vampire (2022)

Saltburn

Carol (2015)

The Sandman (comic)

Love Simon

Supernatural

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Fienburg

Vida

Undertale

Night in the woods

The last of us two

Lisa Frankenstein

Torchwood

Doctor Who

Red, White and Royal Blue

This is how you lose the time war by Amar el-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

Cyberpunk 2077

Bee and puppycat

Q-force

Ranma ½

But I'm a cheerleader

Falsettos

Xena Warrior Princess

Bugsnax

Schitts creek

Some like it hot

Always human by Ari North

Carry on by Rainbow Rowell

Glee

What we do in the shadows

Young Royals

Hooky by Míriam Bonastre Tur

Heartbreak High

Harbin Hotel

On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden

The Handmaiden

Queer as Folk

The Song of Achilles

Will and Grace

The Magnus Archives

Sanders Sides

Goncharov

Dracula

Yellow jackets

The L word

Boys don't cry

Brokeback Mountain

Paper Girls

All of us strangers

Dead end: paranormal park

D.E.B.S

Paris is Burning

Carmilla

Pride (2014)

Grishaverse

Pose

Disco Elysium

The Bifrost Incident

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

We know the devil

Banana fish

Different For girls

Our own private Idaho

Stardew Valley

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Riverdale

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[thenewsart]

Demolition Of House Where Idaho Students Were Killed Set To Begin This Month

University of Idaho President Scott Green said the demolition of the rental where the four students were killed in November 2022 will begin on Dec. 28. #Demolition #House #Idaho #Students #Killed #Set #Month

[dailyunsolvedmysteries]

University of Idaho murders timeline: What we know about the slaughter of four students 

The victims — Ethan Chapin, 20; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Kaylee Goncalves, 21 — were found stabbed to death Nov. 13 2022.

Mogen, Kernodle and Goncalves lived with two other students in a six-bedroom home off campus at 1122 King Road near fraternity row. Chapin, who was dating Kernodle, was staying the night. This is what is known about what happened before and after the killings. 

Saturday, November 12 – Goncalves' final Instagram post

At 8:57 p.m., Goncalves posted a cheerful picture on Instagram (the title photo) posing with four friends and smiling broadly, which appeared to be taken on the porch of a house. "One lucky girl to be surrounded by these pple everyday," she captioned the photo. That night, Mogen and Goncalves hung out at Corner Club, a downtown bar, while Chapin and Kernodle went to a party together at the Sigma Chi house on campus, according to police.

Sunday, November 13 – Two victims seen in Twitch footage

Mogen and Goncalves were captured on video at 1:41 a.m. near a food truck in a clip posted to Twitch. Chapin and Kernodle returned home at about 1:45 a.m., while Mogen and Goncalves arrived at the house at 1:57 a.m after taking a sorority designated driving service, according to police and family. The two female roommates who survived the attack returned home from their night out before the four friends around 1 a.m.

The murders

The four victims were stabbed to death with a fixed-blade knife between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. on the second and third floors of the home, according to police. The murder weapon has not been recovered. The surviving roommates summoned friends to the house because they believed one of the second-floor victims had passed out. A call to 911 was placed from one of the surviving roommates' phones at 11:58 a.m., reporting an unconscious person. Police said multiple people spoke to the dispatcher.

Wednesday, Nov. 16 – New details emerge, mystery deepens

At a press conference Wednesday, Moscow Police Chief James Fry revealed to reporters for the first time that there were two female roommates at the home during the horrific attack, and they were unharmed. Fry did not identify the 911 caller or offer an explanation for the call coming in more than 8 hours after the slayings. There were no signs of forced entry, he said.

Thursday, Nov. 17 – Coroner releases autopsy findings

The students' deaths were officially ruled homicides in a press release issued by Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt. Their cause and manner of death are homicide by stabbing, according to Mabbutt. She said the victims were likely ambushed in their sleep with a "really large knife" and described the attack as "personal" in an interview with NewsNation. Each of the victims had multiple stab wounds to their torsos. In a press release, police said that the two surviving roommates were not involved in the murders.

Tuesday, Nov. 22 – Did Kaylee Goncalves have a stalker?

Police said in a press release they "pursued hundreds of pieces of information related to this topic and have not been able to identify or verify the identity of a stalker."

Wednesday, Dec. 7 – Police ask for information about vehicle seen near crime 

Police reveal they have received tips and leads about a white 2011 to 2013 Hyundai Elantra spotted near the crime scene in the early morning hours of Nov. 13. They are seeking to speak with the person or people who were inside the vehicle, and ask the public for any information about the vehicle.

Authorities are asking anyone with information about the incident to call 208-883-7180 or tipline@ci.moscow.id.us.

[follow-up-news]

An Idaho judge entered not guilty pleas on behalf of Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students last fall, during an arraignment in a Latah County Court on Monday.

When asked for his plea, Kohberger remained silent.

Kohberger’s attorney rose and said “your honor, we are standing silent” and the judge then entered not guilty pleas for him.

The man accused of fatally stabbing four University of Idaho students last year is set to appear in court Monday, days after he was indicted by a grand jury.

Bryan Kohberger is expected to be arraigned on four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary for the November 13 killings of Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20, at a home just outside the university’s main campus in Moscow, Idaho.