Fairfield teacher murder suspect loses bid to block evidence; Supreme Court denies appeal
Two more avenues for relief have been slammed shut for Willard Miller, one of two teens accused of killing their Fairfield Spanish teacher in 2021.
Miller and fellow Fairfield student Jeremy Goodale face first-degree murder charges in the slaying of 66-year-old Nohema Graber. She was beaten to death and her body was left concealed in a city park.
The now-17-year-old Miller has been waging a fierce legal fight to undermine the case against him, arguing that his constitutional rights were violated.
Here's what the new rulings Friday mean, and what happens next.
Judge won't suppress evidence
At a March 29 hearing, Miller argued that police had unlawfully arrested him despite only having a warrant to collect his DNA, violated his codefendant Goodale's rights in collecting evidence that also implicates Miller, and lied to a judge to secure search warrants during the investigation.
Previously: Prosecutor: Iowa teens killed Spanish teacher over bad grade
Judge Shawn Showers rejected each dispute. Showers found police had probable cause to arrest Miller, that Miller failed to show evidence officers had been untruthful, and that Miller has no standing to argue for Goodale's constitutional rights if Goodale himself ― who a prosecutor said plans to testify for the state ― does not.
Was motion filed too late?
Prosecutors had argued against each of Miller's claims, but also asked Showers to dismiss Miller's motion out of hand. Almost all of the issues involved were already decided in the state's favor in a previous motion to suppress, Jefferson County Attorney Chauncey Moulding said.
November 2022: Fairfield teen's mother testifies police misled before her son's arrest for teacher's murder
Moulding further argued there was no new information justifying filing a second motion barely a month before trial when the case had been pending almost 18 months.
Supreme Court denies appeal
Although Showers rejected Miller's first motion to suppress evidence in January, defense attorneys had appealed that decision to the Iowa Supreme Court, which declined Friday to accept the appeal.
Under Iowa law, the court has discretion over whether or not to take up "interlocutory" appeals of pretrial decisions. This is the second time the high court has refused to intercede in the Graber cases, having previously refused to hear the teens' appeal over an evidentiary dispute in the hearings to determine whether they would be tried as adults.
From 2021: 'She had a love for life': Fairfield honors Nohema Graber with prayer, vigil service
Next up, trial for Miller
Friday's decisions clear the way for Miller's case to proceed to trial. It's scheduled to begin April 21 in Pottawattamie County, where it was moved because of concerns about the effect of pretrial publicity on the Jefferson County jury pool.
Goodale is scheduled for trial in May, but it isn't clear what sort of deal he has reached with prosecutors. Court filings do not show any plea hearing yet scheduled in his case.
William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com, 715-573-8166 or on Twitter at @DMRMorris.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa teacher murder suspect loses motion to suppress, pretrial appeal
