Global Courant 2023-04-18 22:16:08
The two Iowa teens planned the murder for about two weeks, and Willard Miller allegedly recruited Jeremy Goodale to help him. The Iowa Spanish teacher’s body was found in a Fairfield park in November 2021. Willard Miller were both charged as adults due to the gravity of their crimes, but were not sentenced to life without parole because they were 16 at the time
Two Iowa teens charged with assaulting a high school teacher pleaded guilty to first-degree murder on Tuesday.
Willard Miller and Jeremy Goodale both changed their pleas to guilty Tuesday, admitting to killing 66-year-old Nohema Graber, their Spanish teacher at Fairfield High School. Investigators said the attack may have related to a dispute over grades in Graber’s class.
Prosecutors say the evidence shows that both Miller and Goodale beat Graber with a bat. Miller admitted to helping plan and carry out the murder, but denied ever hitting Graber. Goodale testified that Miller plotted to kill Graber and they both beat her.
The teacher’s body was found in a Fairfield park in November 2021, hidden under a tarp, wheelbarrow and sleepers. The town of Fairfield has a population of about 9,400 and is located about 100 miles southeast of Des Moines.
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Prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence of between 30 years and life in prison, with the possibility of parole as part of an agreement with Miller. Prosecutors said they would recommend a sentence of between 25 years and life with the possibility of parole for Goodale.
Goodale previously agreed to testify against Miller at his trial, which was expected to begin later this week.
Willard Miller is led into a courtroom in Fairfield, Iowa on March 29, 2023. Miller is one of two Iowa teens charged with assaulting a high school teacher. Miller and his accomplice pleaded guilty to first degree murder on April 18, 2023. (Kyle Ocker/The Ottumwa Courier via AP, pool, file)
Goodale and Miller were both charged as adults due to the gravity of the crime, but they were not subject to a mandatory life sentence without parole because they were 16 when Graber was killed. Willard is now 17 and Goodale is 18.
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Investigators have said that on the afternoon of November 2, 2021, Miller met with Graber at Fairfield High School to discuss his poor grade in her class. Graber later drove her van to a park where she was known for daily walks after school, authorities say. Witnesses saw her van leave the park less than an hour later with two men in the front seat.
The van was abandoned at the end of a rural road. After receiving a call from Goodale, a witness later picked up Goodale and Miller walking along that road into town, investigators say.
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In a police interview, Miller described the frustrations he had with the way Graber taught Spanish and how the grade in her class lowered his GPA.
Goodale testified that the two teens planned the murder about two weeks after Miller recruited him to help.
