Iowa Teens Were Upset With A Spanish Teacher Over A Bad Grade. So They Killed Her In The Park With A Baseball Bat.

Two Iowa teenagers have pleaded guilty to murdering a high school Spanish teacher with a baseball bat to get even for bad grades.

Jeremy Goodale and Willard Miller changed their original “not guilty” pleas in separate morning hearings on April 18. Both were scheduled to go on trial later this week.

Both now admit they attacked Nohema Graber, 66, along a park trail in Fairfield on Nov. 2, 2021. Goodale told a judge that Miller brought the bat and used it on Graber.

Both teens dragged the teacher off the trail, Goodale continued. But when they noticed she was still alive, Goodale says he struck Graber to finish their mission.

The Associated Press reported the teacher's body was hidden under a tarp, wheelbarrow and railroad ties in the city southeast of Des Moines.

According to WHO-TV, Iowa Assistant Attorney General Scott Brown said Miller planned the killing for about two weeks, after he received a poor grade in Spanish. Miller recruited Goodale to help him.

Miller reportedly admitted to the murder plot, but denied ever striking Graber.

Had the teens been adults when they killed Graber, Iowa law would have required life sentences for murder. But because both were 16, juvenile sentencing rules apply.

Brown indicated he'll propose a 25-year minimum for Goodale and a 30-year minimum for Miller. The difference is that Goodale has cooperated with authorities, Brown explained.

Sentencing dates for the teens have not been announced.