A 17-year-old boy has been charged with the killing of a high school Spanish teacher in Iowa and will be tried as an adult. Jeremy Goodale is one of the teenage boys facing felony charges for the alleged murder of 66-year-old Nohema Graber in November 2021.
According to KTVO News, a judge rejected the teen's request to have his murder case moved to juvenile court as he faces felony charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit a forcible felony along with his accomplice 16-year-old Willard Miller. Both teenagers are accused and charged with the murder of the teacher using a baseball bat. The teacher's body was found on Nov. 3 at a park in Fairfield.
Judge Shawn Shower’s ruling follows after Goodale’s legal representatives argued last month that the teenage boy needs to immediately begin rehabilitation within the juvenile court system while his brain is still in its development stage. The boy’s lawyers pointed out that the juvenile court system would provide Goodale with age-appropriate rehabilitation which they argued the adult system would not deliver in time.
On Wednesday during the trial, state prosecutors said the boy’s treatment would not be able to commence until his trial and sentencing is over. The court sided with prosecutors citing how Goodale will not have enough time to effectively complete his rehabilitation. Given the gravity of the crime he committed, the court said there would not be any guarantee that the short period alone would see the boy meaningfully commit and engage himself in the rehabilitation treatment within a span of six months. The court added that not having any past involvement in such rehabilitation programs would also not provide the means to see how Goodale's rehabilitation performance.
"The juvenile court’s dwindling time to rehabilitate the Defendant is simply insufficient for a crime of such magnitude based on the nature of the offenses described in the minutes of testimony," the court said.
However, in the adult system, the boy would also be required to demonstrate the same rehabilitation before the parole board. Furthermore, the court said Goodale would have access to more programs and resources before he is released. The pretrial has been scheduled for Aug.1 while the trial will commence on Aug. 23 at the Jefferson County Courthouse. The court also seeks a similar motion for Miller however, no ruling has been given as of this time.
