Teens Accused Of Murdering Spanish Teacher Over Bad Grades To Be Tried As Adults

In a major follow-up to the gruesome murder of a high school Spanish teacher by her students, the prosecutor said the accused, two teens from Fairfield, Iowa, committed the crime over bad grades.

The revelation came Tuesday, ahead of the Wednesday hearing for the judge to hear arguments regarding suppressing evidence against Jeremy Goodale and Willard Miller, both aged 17. The development came shortly after the latter's lawyer made a plea to a Fairfield court to invalidate four search warrants and evidence found on Miller's phone and social media, the LA Times reported.

The victim, Nohema Graber, was found dead in a Fairfield park on Nov. 3, 2021. Her heavily bruised body was hidden under a wheelbarrow, railroad ties and a tarp. Forensic reports said she had been beaten to death with a baseball bat. Cops eventually zeroed in on Miller and Goodale, who were both 16 at the time.

Police reports said the duo allegedly killed Graber when she drove to the park after school. Eyewitnesses saw the van exit the park with two males in the seat, the outlet reported. Goodale and Miller were later identified by witnesses.

"The poor grade is believed to be the motive behind the murder of Graber which directly connects Miller," reads an excerpt from the court documents filed by Assistant Iowa Attorney General Scott Brown, NYPost reported.

Willard Miller initially denied any knowledge of the crime, but later admitted that he was frustrated over the way Graber taught Spanish and how it was affecting his GPA. Upon being interrogated further, Miller tried to shift the blame to a "roving group of masked kids" who apparently forced him to give them his wheelbarrow and drive her van out of the crime scene.

What really gave him away, however, were the records of his friend Jeremy Goodale's Snapchat history. Photos from a Snapchat conversation were submitted "that identify Goodale's admissions that he acted in concert with another person to bring about Graber's death."

The evidence indicated Goodale bragged about the murder in statements that identified himself and Miller as the culprits, as per the outlet.

The two accused, a year away from turning 18, will be tried as adults in Iowa. The penalty for first-degree murder in the state is life imprisonment. Goodale will appear in court on Dec. 5 in Davenport and Miller is scheduled for trial on March 20, 2023, in Council Bluffs.