(Radio Iowa) – A district court has denied the sentence appeal in the murder of a Fairfield teacher. Jeremy Goodale pleaded guilty to first-degree murder along with Willard Miller in the death of their Spanish teacher Nohema Graber in 2021 K-C-R-G T-V reports Goodale appealed his sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years, saying he was 16 at the time and the court failed to consider his age and immaturity in his sentencing.

The ruling says it does recognize that Goodale was influenced by Miller and he did not fully appreciate the consequences of his actions. But it noted Goodale was a bright student and an intelligent teenager who could have stopped the murder. It says the minimum term was necessary because of the “egregiousness of the crime.”