Live coverage: Willard ‘Chaiden’ Miller sentencing

Willard Noble Chaiden Miller, 17, who pleaded in April to first-degree murder, admitted to striking his teacher Nohema Graber, 66, or aiding and abetting Jeremy Goodale, now 18, in striking her with a baseball bat on Nov. 2, 2021.

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He also admitted he and Goodale were in Chautauqua Park, which is near Fairfield High School and where Graber took daily walks, that day and he acted as a “lookout” when Goodale struck Graber. Miller knew he was going to kill her and assisted.

During the plea hearing, Assistant Iowa Attorney General Scott Brown said Miller also was part of planning the murder, and also struck Graber with the baseball bat. Miller then helped cover up the crime and destroyed evidence, which is included in the minutes of testimony with the plea agreement, Brown said.

Brown said the minutes of testimony include that Miller asked Goodale to assist him because of the grades Miller received in Graber’s Spanish class.

Graber, who grew up in Mexico, had been a Spanish teacher at Fairfield High since 2012. She left behind three children — Christian, Nohema Marie and Jared — and a former husband, Paul.

The prosecution will recommend Miller be sentenced to a mandatory minimum of 30 years before being eligible for parole. Miller faces a life sentence but because he is a juvenile the court has to give him an opportunity to parole.

Sentencing for Goodale, who also pleaded to first-degree murder in April, is set for Aug. 23. His lawyer filed a motion asking the court to bump the sentencing date to later in October because an expert witness can’t be available in August. A hearing on that motion is set for July 17.

Liveblog below by Courts Reporter Trish Mehaffey

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Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com