Jeremy Goodale, one of two Fairfield teens who pleaded guilty to the 2021 murder of their teacher, Nohema Graber, was sentenced on Wednesday. Judge Shawn Showers made the ruling.

“The court finds based on the nature and circumstances of this offense, along with the 25 required factors I’m required to consider in sentencing a juvenile for first-degree murder, the defendant shall be sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after 25 years,” Showers explained.

This matches the requested sentence made by the prosecution. The two-day hearing saw final testimonies from Goodale’s family, expert witnesses, and an apology from Goodale himself. In the hours leading up to the sentencing, the court heard multiple victim impact statements from Graber’s family and friends.

Goodale, along with Willard Miller, murdered Graber with a bat on November 3, 2021 when the two were 16-years old. The prosecution believes that the motive for the killing was a bad grade Miller had received in Graber’s class. This July, Miller was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 35 years.

First degree murder carries a life sentence in the State of Iowa, however Goodale and Miller were not subject to this requirement due to their juvenile status. As the case closed, Judge Showers wished healing for all those involved.