A teenager who beat his 66-year-old Spanish teacher to death with a baseball bat in a public park in a shocking attack with his pal has been jailed for LIFE.
Willard Miller and Jeremy Goodale set upon Nohema Graber in a park where the teacher regularly walked after school, in what the prosecution tonight called a "heinous act".
Prosecutors said the teens, who were 16 at the time, were angry at the teacher because of a bad grade she had given Miller.
In a surprise move, the Judge today sentenced Miller him to life in prison with eligibility for parole after 35 years - despite the state prosecutor asking for the less harsh 30 year window for parole.
Miller admitted helping to plan and carry out the killing but has denied hitting the teacher. Her body was found hidden under a tarpaulin, wheelbarrow and railroad ties.
Judge Showers told Miller he could not sentence him to life without parole given his age but the law does allow him to implement a mandatory minimum - and he found Miller's "intent and actions were sinister and evil. There is no excuse."
Miller will be in his early 50s before he becomes eligible to even apply for parole.
Exercising his right to make a statement before his sentencing, the teen appeared to smirk and smile as he began to speak, before apologising to the family and the community, in what was likely a rehearsed speech.
Showing little emotion, Miller said that he accepted responsibility for the killing and apologised to the Graber family.
"I would like to apologise for my actions, first and foremost to the family," he said. "I am sincerely sorry for the distress I have caused you and the devastation I have caused your family." He also apologised to his own family and Goodale's family.
Miller was the first sentenced after he pleaded guilty as part of an agreement in which prosecutors recommended a term of between 30 years and life in prison, with the possibility of parole.
Under Goodale's agreement to plead guilty, prosecutors recommended a sentence of between 25 years and life with the possibility of parole. Goodale previous agreed to testify against Miller at his trial.
Goodale's sentencing is scheduled for August but his lawyers have sought a delay in the hearing.
The two had pleaded guilty in April to the November 2, 2021, attack on Nohema Graber in a park in Fairfield, Iowa, US.
Thursday's sentencing hearing at the Jefferson County Courthouse in Fairfield initially focused on investigators who described how officers found Graber's body and social media postings that led them to question and then arrest Miller and Goodale.
Prosecutors also played recordings of a police interview with Miller and displayed photographs of the crime scene, including graphic images of Graber's body.
Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation agent Trent Vileta recalled police finding Graber's body under a tarp in Chautauqua Park.
A wheelbarrow and railroad tie had been placed over the tarp, making it hard to see the body, with only a shoe and a hand visible.
After pulling back part of the tarp, Vileta said the only significant injury to Graber appeared to be a severe head wound.
In the interview, Miller initially said he knew nothing about Graber's disappearance but later said he saw other people carrying her body in the park.
Later Thursday, the court is expected to hear statements from Graber's relatives.
Goodale earlier testified that he and Miller had planned the killing for about two weeks and that both of them struck the victim and then hid her body.
Goodale said Miller had initiated the plan.
Miller admitted helping but denied hitting Graber.
The two were charged as adults, but because of their age they were not subject to a mandatory sentence of life without parole for first-degree murder. Miller is now 17 and Goodale is 18.
Investigators say Miller met with Ms Graber at the high school on the afternoon of November 2, 2021, to discuss his poor grades in her class.
Ms Graber later drove her van to a park where she was known to take walks after school daily, according to authorities.
Witnesses saw her van leaving the park less than an hour later with two males in the front seat. The van was left at the end of a rural road.
After being called by Goodale a witness later picked up Goodale and Miller as they walked to town along that road, according to investigators.
In a police interview, Miller described frustrations he had with the way Ms Graber taught Spanish, and how the grade her received in her class was lowering his grade point average.
Investigators cited evidence from Goodal's Snapchat history, which was shown to authorities after the murder by a witness who knew the teens.
In Snapchat messages Goodale revealed he and Miller "were involved in the planning, execution and disposal of evidence" in the murder.
Messages also showed how the pair had "surveilled" Ms Graber, also providing additional details about how they killed her, disposed of her body and covered up evidence.
An 'absolute angel'
Ms Graber was just days away from her 67th birthday when she was killed.
She had moved to Fairfield, the hometown of her then-husband Paul, in the 1990s, earning an English degree from Iowa Wesleyan University in 2006.
She taught Spanish at Ottumwa High School in 2012, before moving onto Fairfield High School.
M Graber was said to have had three adult children, and was also survived by several siblings and multiple nephews and nieces.
Her family called her an "absolute angel", and thanked her for "instilling a love of travel and languages" in the family.
Her daughter posted a tribute to Facebook saying: "We had the wonderful fortune of growing up in a home filled with such an abundance of warmth and love."
She went on to say: "I will miss her loud laugh and dancing with her to any music that was playing, she had so muhc joy in her eyes and such a deep sense of faith."
Ms Graber's ex-husband's brother, Tom Graber, said: "We're glad the defendants have pleaded guilty.
"We're disappointed that one is not, still, owning up to his full role, but he has at least pleaded guilty, and we look forward to sentencing."
Fairfield, a city of 9,400 people, is about 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of Des Moines.
We'll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures and video on this breaking news story.
Get email updates on the day’s biggest stories straight to your inbox by signing up for our newsletters .
Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you by following The Mirror every time you see our name.
Join The Mirror’s WhatsApp Community - CLICK HERE
Follow The Mirror on Google News - CLICK HERE and click the star
Follow The Mirror on Apple News - CLICK HERE available on Apple devices
Follow The Mirror on Flipboard - CLICK HERE and click follow
You can sign up for Twitter alerts for breaking news here @MirrorBreaking_ and follow us @DailyMirror , for all the latest updates.
