2 Iowa teens plead guilty to murder in Spanish teacher's beating death

Two Iowa teenagers charged in the beating death of a high school teacher pleaded guilty to first-degree murder on Tuesday.

Willard Miller and Jeremy Goodale both changed their pleas to guilty and admitted to helping kill 66-year-old Nohema Graber, their Spanish teacher at Fairfield High School. Prosecutors said the teens carried out the 2021 attack because of a bad grade Graber had given Miller. The two were 16 at the time.

Prosecutors say the evidence shows both Miller and Goodale struck Graber with a bat. Miller admitted to helping plan and carry out the killing but denied ever hitting Graber. Goodale testified that Miller initiated the plan to kill Graber and they both struck her.