Teen Who Pleaded Guilty to Murdering Spanish Teacher Over Bad Grades Gets Life In Prison

Willard Miller, 17, was given life in prison with the possibility of parole in 35 years by District Judge Shawn Showers -- who made it clear that if Iowa allowed for the option of life without parole, it would have been a "serious consideration" given the severity of the crime, despite Miller's age.

Both Miller and Jeremy Goodale were just 16 when they were arrested and charged with murdering teacher Nohema Graber in Fairfield, Iowa. Her body was found beaten to death on November 3, 2021, hidden under a tarp in a local park. The two were charged as adults and pleaded guilty to murder, with Goodale testifying against Miller during the trial. While Miller said he helped plan and orchestrate the fatal attack, he denied ever hitting Graber -- while Goodale said they both participated in the beating.

During his sentencing hearing on Thursday, Miller addressed the court and offered up an apology to Graber's family, his own family and the community at large. The sentencing came up just one day after a funeral for Nohema's ex-husband, Paul Graber, who died of metastatic cancer his family believed she would have helped him fight had she still been alive.

"I would like to apologize for my actions, first and foremost to the family. I'm sincerely sorry for the distress that I've caused you ... the devastation," Miller said to the Grabers. "From the bottom of my heart, I'm sorry for your loss and I'm sorry to hear about Paul Graber."

He then apologized for the "ripple effect" her death had on the community and her church, before turning to his own family.

"I love you guys so much and I'm really sorry for what I've done and how it's affected you. I plan on getting out back out there soon to make up for lost time," he said, before also apologizing to Goodale's family.

"What I did was wrong, and I accept responsibility for my carelessness, for my ignorance ... I ask that I'm given a chance," he concluded, addressing the judge. "I don't want to be institutionalized so long I forget about what matters, where I come from and what I need to do. I look forward to getting through this."

Graber's family and friends then gave impact statements, with Nohema's brother-in-law Jim Graber expressing his doubt over Miller's remorse.

"Everybody loved her. Maybe she was a tough Spanish teacher, but she wanted the best for her students. To fathom someone killing someone over a grade is just insane," he said. "To this date, this is the first time I've heard an attempted apology from Mr. Miller. I don't believe it, because he showed no sign of remorse whatsoever."

"To me, he's a cold-blooded, premeditated murderer. She had a good life, but she had a lot of life left. Her death definitely sped up Paul's demise," he continued. "I hope you open your soul to the Lord and maybe ask for forgiveness there first, because you're on a spiral straight to hell."

Graber's son, Christian, also spoke directly to Miller, saying he believes there's "potential for you to become a decent person," while adding, "I don't see it at the moment."

Then the judge delivered his sentence, first explaining in detail how he came to his decision. He said he didn't feel there had been much remorse shown for the victim or her family and added that "any individual who would plan, participate and murder based on an unsatisfactory grade is an individual that would require immense rehabilitation."

Saying he felt Miller would be a continued threat to the community, he also addressed the teen's age by saying, "The definition of malice is the intention or the desire to do evil and evil does not have a birthday."

"Ultimately, while acknowledging your youth and developing brain, I find that your intent and actions were sinister and evil," he concluded. "Those acts resulted in the intentional loss of human life in a brutal fashion. There is no excuse. There is not a systemic, societal problem that explains or justifies your actions."