An Iowa teen wept and bled just moments before receiving a life sentence Wednesday for helping his classmate murder beloved high school Spanish teacher Nohema Graber in 2021. Jeremy Goodale, 18, and his friend Willard Miller ambushed Graber, beat her to death with a baseball bat, then ditched her remains in Chatauqua Park in Fairfield — all for giving Miller a bad grade and purportedly hurting his chances of taking part in a study abroad program.
While neither teen could agree on who ultimately killed the 66-year-old teacher, both pleaded guilty earlier this year to first-degree murder.
Goodale, 16 at the time of the murder, had his shot at a juvenile court hearing thwarted by Judge Shawn Showers’ ruling in May. Instead, he was tried as an adult.
Whereas Miller, whom Showers characterized as a “sinister and evil” force, received a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 35 years — five years more than prosecutors had asked for — Goodale will be eligible for parole in 25 years.
What’s the background?
Blaze News
previously reported that Graber, a mother of three, was a Spanish teacher at Fairfield High School.
Lauri Noll, Fairfield schools superintendent, said Graber “touched the lives of…
