Willard Miller pleads guilty to conspiring with Jeremy Goodale to kill their high school Spanish teacher (Picture: AP)
Two teenagers pleaded guilty to beating and murdering their Spanish teacher in November 2021.
Willard Miller and Jeremy Goodale both changed their pleas to guilty on Tuesday at a hearing before a judge in the small town of Fairfield, Iowa, about 100 miles southeast of Des Moines.
The two teens both admitted to planning the murder of their Spanish teacher, Nohema Graber, due to a dispute over grades in her class.
‘After he had struck Nohema Graber, we then moved her off of the trail, where I then struck her, and she died as a result,’ Goodale quietly told the judge. ‘Afterwards we removed any evidence that we could.’
Jeremy Goodale appears before a judge to confess to the murder of Nohema Graber in 2021 (Picture: AP)
According to Goodale’s attorney, the two students began planning Graber’s death about two weeks before the murder on November 6, 2021.
Goodale’s attorney said that Miller ‘essentially recruited’ his client to the scheme.
Last week, Goodale had indicated he was ready to plead guilty and testify against Miller. Both teenagers initially pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and conspiracy.
Graber was found at a Fairfield park where she was known to take walks after school. Witnesses at the park saw her drive her van to the park, but saw to young males driving the vehicle out.
Willard Noble Chaiden Miller appears before a judge shortly after his arrest in November 2021 (Picture: AP)
Her body was found at the park the same day she was reported missing, concealed by a tarp, wheelbarrow, and loose railroad ties. She was killed by trauma to the head, authorities later confirmed.
Police quickly identified Miller and Goodale, two 16-year-old students in her advanced Spanish class at Fairfield High School, as suspects. They were identified after a witness provided them with a Snapchat message sent by Goodale, which allegedly contained details of the crime.
Miller told investigators that he had witnessed Graber’s death, but he did not participate. Instead, he blamed the killing on a ‘roving group of masked kids.’
Jeremy Goodale is escorted into a bond review hearing after his initial arrest in November 2021 (Picture: AP)
He also admitted to investigators that he was frustrated with Graber’s teaching style and upset that his grade in the class was bringing down his GPA.
The two defendants were charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder. They were charged as adults due to the severity of the crime, but neither will be subject to a mandatory life sentence due to their age.
Prosecutors said they would seek sentences of 30 years to life in prison for Miller, and 25 years in prison for Goodale.
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The two teens both admitted to planning the murder of their Spanish teacher, Nohema Graber, due to a dispute over grades in her class in 2021.