Iowa teen accused of killing Spanish teacher with baseball bat will be tried as adult

An Iowa teen accused of helping to murder a beloved Spanish teacher with a baseball bat will be tried as an adult for the vicious killing.

A judge on Wednesday rejected requests from lawyers for 17-year-old Jeremy Goodale, who requested the case against their client be moved to juvenile court, KTVO reported. They unsuccessfully argued the juvenile court system would better serve the teen and provide age-appropriate counseling and rehabilitative opportunities.

Jeremy Everett Goodale, left, sits with attorneys J. Nicole Jensen, and Allen Cook, right, during a reverse waiver hearing in Fairfield, Iowa on Thursday, April 28, 2022. (NICK ROHLMAN /)

Prosecutors pushed back, arguing there are no such rehabilitative programs made for the severe charges Goodale is facing, which include murder.

Both Goodale and his friend, Willard Miller, were just 16 when they fatally beat Nohema Graber, a 66-year-old educator at Fairfield High School, where they were both students, according to authorities.

Jeremy Everett Goodale, left, and Willard Noble Chaiden Miller have both been charged with homicide in the first degree and conspiracy to commit homicide.

Graber was initially reported missing on Nov. 2 and her body was found the following day, hidden under a tarp, a wheelbarrow and railroad ties at Chautauqua Park, where she was often spotted strolling.

Nohema Graber

Months later, the motive behind her killing remains unclear.

Miller was also charged as an adult in the slaying. A judge has not yet ruled on whether he will be tried in juvenile court.