Two Iowa teens have pleaded guilty to murdering their Spanish teacher who gave them a bad grade.
Willard Miller, 17 and Jeremy Goodale, 18, admitted to first-degree murder for beating to death their teacher Nohema Graber, 66, as per The Guardian.
Miller and Goodale were both 16 when they were charged with the murder of the Fairfield High School teacher, whose body was found in a park, hidden under a tarp, wheelbarrow and railroad ties on 3 November 2021.
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The Spanish teacher had been bludgeoned to death by a baseball bat.
According to investigators, Graber's body was discovered a day after Miller met with Graber to discuss his grade.
Graber drove to the park where she undertook daily walks and eyewitnesses reported that Graber’s van left the park with the two students in the front seats.
The two teens were initially arrested after a witness provided police with photos of a Snapchat conversation in which Goodale allegedly admitted he had killed the teacher with Miller.
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USA TODAY reported that prosecutors will recommend that Miller receive life in prison with eligibility for parole after 30 years and that Goodale should be eligible for parole after 25 years.
"We're glad the defendants have taken responsibility for the crime they committed and look forward to making sure justice is done at sentencing," Jefferson County Attorney Chauncey Moulding said following the hearings, as per the outlet.
Graber was born in Mexico, and, after high school, she worked as a flight attendant.
She moved to Iowa with her husband in the 1990s and was deeply active in the school community.
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Graber had three adult children, and her family described the Spanish teacher as an 'angel'.
Her son, Christian, said he had forgiven the teenagers via a Facebook post.
“I forgive them and feel sorry that they had that anger in their hearts,” he wrote.
“There’s no point in being angry at them. We should hope that they can find peace in their lives. My mother was an angel of a woman and was one of the kindest souls.”
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He added: "She was well loved in the community and around the world. Thanks to everyone who reached out. I may ask for some help with things in the following days but in the end everything will be ok."
Charisa Bossinakis