CRIME

Iowa teen convicted in beating death of Spanish teacher gets life in prison: "I wish I could go back and stop myself"

NOVEMBER 16, 2023 / 6:21 AM EST / CBS/AP

An Iowa teen convicted in the 2021 beating death of a high school Spanish teacher was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison with a possibility of parole in 25 years. ... A judge sentenced Jeremy Goodale for his role in killing Nohema Graber, a 66-year-old teacher at Fairfield High School. Goodale, 18, and a friend pleaded guilty earlier this year to first-degree murder in the beating death of Graber.

The two high school students used a bat to kill Graber after stalking her as she took her daily walk in a large park in Fairfield, a small Iowa city about 100 miles southeast of Des Moines.

Before being sentenced, Goodale apologized to the teacher's family, the community and his own family. .... "I'm sorry, truly sorry. What I've taken can never be replaced," Goodale said, at times through sobs. "Every day I wish I could go back and stop myself, prevent this loss and this pain that I've caused everyone."

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Jeremy Goodale tears up as he listens to his sister Jacqueline read a tribute he wrote about her as she testifies at his sentence hearing at the Jefferson County Courthouse in Fairfield, Iowa, Nov. 14, 2023.
JIM SLOSIAREK / AP

Prosecutors said Goodale and his friend Willard Miller, both 16 at the time, decided to kill Graber because of a bad grade she had given Miller. Prosecutors have said Miller first suggested the two kill Graber after becoming worried that the poor grade would prevent him from participating in a study abroad program.

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NATIONAL

An Iowa teenager receives life for the beating death of his high school teacher

July 7, 20232:23 AM ET
By The Associated Press



Willard Miller makes a statement during his sentence hearing at the Jefferson County Courthouse in Fairfield, Iowa, Thursday, July 6, 2023. Miller, the first of two Iowa teenagers who pleaded guilty to beating their high school Spanish teacher to death with a baseball bat, was sentenced Thursday to life with a possibility of parole after 35 years in prison.
Jim Slosiarek/AP

DES MOINES, Iowa — The first of two Iowa teenagers who pleaded guilty to beating their high school Spanish teacher to death with a baseball bat was sentenced Thursday to life with a possibility of parole after 35 years in prison.

A judge sentenced Willard Miller after a sentencing hearing that lasted more than seven hours.

Miller and another teen, Jeremy Goodale, had pleaded guilty in April to the 2021 attack on Nohema Graber. The 66-year-old teacher was fatally beaten while taking her regular afternoon walk in a park in Fairfield.

In sentencing Miller, District Court Judge Shawn Showers acknowledged Miller's young age but also noted he had "cut Nohema Graber's precious life short," devastating her family and the community.

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CRIME AND COURTS

2 Iowa Teens Plead Guilty to Fatally Beating Spanish Teacher Over Bad Grade

Two Iowa teenagers have admitted helping ambush and kill their high school Spanish teacher

By Josh Funk • Published April 19, 2023 • Updated on April 19, 2023 at 9:01 am



Willard Miller speaks with his attorney Nathan Olson, left, next to attorney Christine Branstad during a hearing, March 29, 2023, in Fairfield, Iowa, for a hearing related to the murder charge he faces in the 2021 death of Fairfield, Iowa, Spanish teacher Nohema Graber.

Two Iowa teenagers admitted helping ambush and kill their high school Spanish teacher who was beaten to death in a park with a baseball bat. Both pleaded guilty Tuesday to first degree murder.

Prosecutors said Willard Miller and Jeremy Goodale carried out the 2021 attack on Nohema Graber because of a bad grade she had given Miller. The two were 16 at the time.

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