Two Iowa teens killed their Spanish teacher after one of them received a bad grade in her class, prosecutors said in court Tuesday.
Court documents cited by the Associated Press revealed a motive for the first time in the November 2021 killing in which Willard Miller and Jeremy Goodale stand accused of ambushing and beating 66-year-old Nohema Graber to death with baseball bats.
Ms. Graber’s body was later found under a tarp, wheelbarrow and railroad ties in the Fairfield park where she walked daily. The defendants were both 16 at the time of the killing, when prosecutors said they stalked the teacher’s routine to find a time to attack her.
Miller told police that he was frustrated with the way Graber taught Spanish and how her grade was lowering his grade-point average.
“The poor grade is believed to be the motive behind the murder of Graber which directly connects Miller,” stated court documents filed by Jefferson County Attorney Chauncey Moulding and Assistant Iowa Attorney General Scott Brown, per the AP.
A witness shared pictures of a Snapchat conversation with police that showed Goodale had “acted in concert with another person” to kill Ms. Graber, according to the documents.
The two teens, now 17, will be tried as adults on first-degree murder charges.
• This article was based in part on wire service reports.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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