Teen to testify against co-defendant in Iowa teacher’s death
Willard Miller is led into a courtroom Wednesday, March 29, 2023, in Fairfield, Iowa, for a hearing related to the murder charge he faces in the 2021 death of Fairfield, Iowa, Spanish teacher Nohema Graber. (Kyle Ocker/The Ottumwa Courier via AP, Pool)
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — One of two teenagers charged in the beating death of an Iowa high school teacher will testify against his co-defendant, a prosecutor announced Wednesday.
Jeremy Goodale has agreed to testify against Willard Miller during Miller’s upcoming trial, Jefferson County Attorney Chauncey Moulding said during a court hearing.
Goodale and Miller are each charged with first-degree murder in the November 2021 death of 66-year-old Nohema Graber, their Spanish teacher at Fairfield High School. Her body was found in a Fairfield park in November 2021.
Investigators have said Graber was beaten to death, possibly after a dispute over grades in her class.
Court records do not indicate that Goodale has reached a plea deal and it was unclear what he might receive in exchange for his testimony, The Des Moines Register reported. Goodale’s attorney declined to comment.
Miller is scheduled for trial in April and Goodale in May.
The disclosure came during a hearing on a motion by Miller to suppress evidence from interviews the two teenagers gave to investigators. The motion also accuses police of lying on search warrant applications in the case. Miller has a pending appeal before the Iowa Supreme Court on the denial of a previous motion to suppress on similar issues.