The lawyer for an Iowa teen facing adult charges for murder and conspiracy to commit murder is asking a judge to try the suspect as a minor, which would mean he could possibly be out of jail within 24 months or less.
The lawyer for 16-year-old Willard Noble Chaiden Miller filed documents this week to transfer his client to a juvenile facility and to face his charges in juvenile court. The lawyer argued that Miller had no previous criminal history and isn’t a flight risk, NBC 6 reports.
“Miller has no prior juvenile court or district court involvement,” Attorney Christine Branstad said.
Jefferson County Attorney Chauncey Moulding disagreed, arguing that there is good cause to try Miller as an adult, according to SFGate.
“Because of the nature of the allegations, the undersigned argues there could be no reasonable prospects for rehabilitating the child in the juvenile court system before the defendant turns 18 and ‘ages out’ of that system. Such an outcome would be outside the interests of the juvenile and the community at large,” Moulding said.
“The state believes there is no reasonable prospect of rehabilitating a premeditated murderer in less than 24 months.”
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Miller and his accomplice, Jeremy Everett Goodale, 16, are accused of killing 66-year-old Nohema Graber last month. Both teens were students at Fairfield High School in Fairfield, where Graber had been teaching Spanish since 2012.
According to a criminal complaint, both suspects appeared to know the specific details regarding Graber’s death, as allegedly evidenced through a social media exchange. The exchange included how the teacher died, Miller’s involvement, and the motive, although authorities have not released information on a specific motive.
Police found Graber’s remains on November 3 at the Chautauqua Park in Fairfield. The motive behind the murder remains unclear.
Investigators obtained search warrants for both suspects’ homes and found clothing that appeared to have blood on them. A witness who knew the suspects told police they saw the suspects at the park on November 3.
Miller ultimately admitted he was at the park and gave investigators details on how the crime happened and how it was covered up, according to the criminal complaint.
“A search warrant was then executed by Jefferson County police, who searched Goodale’s residence, uncovering ‘multiple clothing items appearing to have a substance consistent in appearance with that of blood,” the complaint read.
Police found Graber’s body “concealed under a tarp, wheelbarrow, and railroad ties.” The criminal complaint stated Graber had head trauma.
Judge Joel Yates hasn’t made a decision on whether to charge Miller as a juvenile. For now, both suspects remain behind bars in adult jail on a $1 million cash bond, each.
The trial is scheduled to begin on April 19. Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: This undated photo provided by the Assistant Jefferson County Attorney, in Iowa, shows Willard Noble Chaiden Miller. Court hearings have been set for Nov. 12, 2021, for Miller and another teen charged with murder in the death of high school Spanish teacher Nohema Graber. (Assistant Jefferson County Attorney via AP)]
