Teens Charged in Death of High School Teacher Staying in Jail, $1M Cash Bond Set for Each
A judge decided Friday to keep two Iowa 16-year-olds charged with killing their Spanish teacher in jail, maintaining their bail bond at $1 million each, the Associated Press reported.
Willard Noble Chaiden Miller and Jeremy Everett Goodale are charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, facing mounting evidence that they killed Fairfield High School teacher Nohema Graber.
Miller's and Goodale's attorneys asked Judge Joel Yates to reduce their bond so they would not have to await the trial in jail.
The prosecution argued that the crime was too brutal to allow them to be free, with court filings noting that Graber had "inflicted trauma to the head." When making his decision, Yates considered factors such as the nature and circumstances of the charges, as well as family and finances.
Assistant Iowa Attorney General Scott Brown told AP that Miller and Goodale "engaged in an extremely brutal murder of an innocent person." Jefferson County Attorney Chauncey Moulding said if they were not in jail, no amount of supervision could properly ensure the safety of everybody around them.
For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below.
Prosecutors asked that bond be maintained at $1 million or even raised to $2 million.
Goodale's attorney, Nicole Jensen, argued in a November 23 hearing that the $1 million cash bond is so far unobtainable that it amounts to pretrial detention without bond.
Miller's attorney Christine Branstad offered similar arguments, adding that detaining juveniles away from family for prolonged periods before trial can have a detrimental effect on them and stunt their development.
Graber, 66, was reported missing November 2 and her remains were found later that day at a Fairfield park were she was known to take daily walks.
Her body was found concealed under a tarp, wheelbarrow and railroad ties at the Chautauqua Park in Fairfield, about 95 miles (150 kilometers) southeast of Des Moines.
Police said in court documents that they received a tip that Goodale posted details about planning the killing on social media. The documents indicated police investigators found clothing that appeared to contain blood at the homes of the teens.
Documents also said Miller admitted to being at the park when Graber was killed and to providing materials used to kill her and conceal her death.
Both teens attended Graber's Spanish class at Fairfield High School, where Graber had taught since 2012.
