An Iowa teen who pleaded guilty to the brutal murder of his Spanish teacher in 2021 was sentenced to life in prison July 6, with the possibility of parole in 35 years.
Willard Miller is facing a lifetime of justice after Judge Shawn Showers sentenced the 17-year-old for bludgeoning his 66-year-old Spanish teacher, Nohema Graber, to death while she was taking an afternoon walk in a park, CBS News reported. Miller, along with 17-year-old Jeremy Goodale, beat Graber with a baseball bat after allegedly receiving a bad grade in class and then placed her body under a piece of tarp in a wheelbarrow, where she was found by Fairfield authorities the following day.
Willard Miller sentencing https://t.co/pVxMAXB0FH
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“I will not gloss over the fact that you and Mr. Goodall cut Nohema Graber’s precious life short,” Showers told Miller at his sentencing. (RELATED: Police Say Teacher Found Dead At Park Murdered By Students. She Told Newspaper ‘We All Know We Ae Going To Die’ Days Before)
“I think you’re very fortunate, Mr. Miller, that the state of Iowa does not allow the option of life without the possibility of parole. That would have been a serious consideration for me if I had that option,” Showers continued, according to the Des Moines Register.
Miller told the court he accepted responsibility for the murder and apologized to Graber’s family, who were present in the courtroom. “I would like to apologize for my actions, first and foremost to the family,” Miller said. “I am sincerely sorry for the distress I have caused you and the devastation I have caused your family.”
Goodale is scheduled to be sentenced in August for his part in the killing of Graber, CBS reported, but his lawyers are seeking a delay for the hearing.