Hearing for Fairfield teens charged with murder should be open to the public: Iowa FOI Council

The Iowa Freedom of Information Council has filed its objections to excluding the public from hearings later this month for two Fairfield teens charged with killing a Spanish teacher from their high school.

Jeremy Everett Goodale, 16, and Willard Noble Chaiden Miller, 16, will have a reverse waiver hearing on Mar. 24 to determine if their cases will stay in adult court or be moved to juvenile court.

Both teens are charged with November 2021 first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit a forcible felony in relation to the death of Nohema Graber, their 66-year-old teacher.

Lawyers for both teens have filed motions arguing that testimony at the reverse waiver hearing will include confidential information that, if released to the public before the case is resolved, could put at risk the teens’ ability to have an impartial jury

Jefferson County Attorney Chauncey Moulding filed a resistance to both motions, stating it is unclear to what confidential information the defendants are referring.

The Iowa Freedom of Information Council added its voice to the prosecutor’s this week when it filed its own resistance to both motions. The council filed a resistance to Goodale’s motion on Monday, and to Miller’s motion on Tuesday.

“This is too serious of a matter and has widespread interest in Iowa, and it would be wrong to exclude the public from the proceeding,” Randy Evans, council executive director, told The Gazette last week.

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