DES MOINES, Iowa — An Iowa teen who pleaded guilty to beating his high school teacher to death in 2021 was sentenced Thursday to life with a possibility of parole after 35 years in prison. Another teen is expected to be sentenced.
Willard Miller was sentenced Thursday. Miller and another teen, Jeremy Goodale, both pleaded guilty in April to attacking Nohema Graber, 66, with a baseball bat in 2021, according to The Associated Press.
Graber was the boy’s Spanish teacher. She was attacked with a baseball bat during her regular afternoon walk in Fairfield, Iowa, the AP reported.
Miller reportedly admitted that he and Goodale were unhappy about their grade in Graber’s class which led to the attack, according to KCRG.
In a plea agreement made with Miller, prosecutors recommended a sentence between 30 years to life in prison with the possibility of parole, according to the news outlet. Prosecutors said they will recommend a sentence between 25 years and life with the possibility of parole for Goodale.
Before the sentencing took place during the hearing Thursday, Miller reportedly took responsibility for the murder and apologized to Graber’s family, according to the AP.
“I would like to apologize for my actions, first and foremost to the family,” Miller said, according to the AP. “I am sincerely sorry for the distress I have caused you and the devastation I have caused your family.
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