FAIRFIELD, IOWA: A teenager who took his teacher's life after receiving a bad marking in a subject has now been awarded life imprisonment. Willard Miller is one of the two teenagers who fatally beat Fairfield High School teacher Nohema Graber, 66, who used to teach Spanish in November 2021. The sentencing came after he, as well as his 18-year-old accomplice Jeremy Goodale, pled guilty to first-degree murder in April.
While sentencing the 17-year-old, District Court Judge Shawn Showers said, as reported by the New York Post, “I find that your intent and actions were sinister and evil. Those acts resulted in the intentional loss of human life in a brutal fashion. There is no excuse. There is not a systemic, societal problem that explains or justifies your actions.”
Is Willard Miller eligible for parole?
Miller’s guilty plea came in April as part of an agreement under which he can get parole after spending 35 years in prison. Goodale is yet to be sentenced, however, it has been said that prosecutors have sought a punishment of 25 years to life for him. In his case also, there are chances of parole.
As per reports, the two murdered the Mexico-born teacher while she was taking a walk in Chautauqua Park. They used a baseball bat to claim her life. Graber’s body was later discovered covered under a tarp, wheelbarrow, and railroad ties.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, July 6, 2023, before the court’s verdict, Miller told the victim’s family, “I would like to apologize for my actions, first and foremost to the family. I am sincerely sorry for the distress I have caused you and the devastation I have caused your family.”
He added, “I’m realizing just the magnitude of my actions, and I know it’s wrong, and I knew it was wrong, and yet I still carried through. I still did what I did, and I accept responsibility for that.”
But Graber’s brother-in-law Jim Graber did not hide his anger toward Miller as he told him, “I hope you open your soul to the lord and maybe ask for forgiveness there first because you're on a spiral straight to hell.”
‘All we can do is forgive’
It has been said that Graber was a well-respected person in her community. After her death, Governor Kim Reynolds shared on Twitter, “My heart goes out to the family, friends, colleagues, and students that are dealing with this tragic murder of Nohema Graber. Ms. Graber touched countless children’s lives through her work as an educator across our state by sharing her passion for foreign languages.”
Besides, the now-deceased teacher’s daughter posted on Facebook, “We’ve lost an absolute angel in our family. It is all thanks to her for instilling a love of travel and languages that my brothers and I have continued to experience the world throughout our lives. We had the wonderful fortune of growing up in a home filled with such an abundance of warmth and love.”
“I will miss her loud laugh and dancing with her to any music that was playing, she had so much joy in her eyes and such a deep sense of faith. To the two teenagers that so cruelly took her life, it is clear that they need more love and light in their hearts. But I agree with my oldest brother Christian, all we can do is forgive. I am filled with so much gratitude to have had such a strong and beautiful woman as my mother,” Nohema Marie Graber added.
