Arguments heard in evidence-suppression hearing for Fairfield juvenile charged with murder

FAIRFIELD — Fairfield High School Spanish teacher Nohema Graber died one year ago, Nov. 2, 2021, in what prosecutors believe was a murder committed by two Fairfield juveniles.

On the anniversary of Graber’s death, one of those murder suspects, Willard Noble Chaiden Miller, was in court for a hearing at the Jefferson County Courthouse Wednesday. The hearing pertained to whether evidence obtained by law enforcement in the aftermath of Graber’s death would be admissible during the trial, which for Miller is scheduled for March 20 in Council Bluffs. His co-defendant, Jeremy Everett Goodale, has a trial scheduled for Dec. 5 in Davenport.

Jefferson County Attorney Chauncey Moulding spoke at the hearing about the evidence the state planned to offer at the trial, which included a thumb drive containing screenshots of Snapchat messages provided to law enforcement, and the full video and audio of the interview Miller gave to police on Nov. 3, 2021.

Defense attorney Nathan A. Olson of the Des Moines law firm Branstad and Olson Law Office said Wednesday the defense was objecting to evidence obtained during a search warrant executed at Miller’s home on Nov. 4 when law enforcement seized his phone and computer. Miller’s defense attorneys have argued that this search warrant lacked probable cause, and that seizing Miller’s phone and computer and searching them was illegal.

Olson said the four search warrant applications from law enforcement contained “misstatements” that identify his client as someone involved in Graber’s death.

“Law enforcement has to provide, under Iowa law, all information that they know or should know an issuing magistrate would want to know when deciding whether or not a search warrant application is supported by probable cause,” Olson said. “Much information was not provided that should have been.”

Olson said the exhibits he was offering to the court showed that the search warrant applications included “purposeful misstatements or omissions.”

In response, Moulding argued the defense had not met its burden to show that a “reckless disregard for the truth” took place when deputies swore to the accuracy of the search warrants that led to them searching Miller’s home, cellphone tower records and Snapchat records.

During the hearing, Moulding began to read from one of the search warrants, but Olson promptly objected, arguing that the search warrant was sealed and could not be read aloud. Judge Shawn Showers overruled Olson, but asked Moulding to limit his reading to a narrow portion of the search warrant.

Moulding read from the search warrant, which stated that on Nov. 3, 2021, an associate of Miller’s showed a law enforcement officer Snapchat messages from Jeremy Goodale, that stated Goodale and Miller were involved in “planning, executing and disposing of evidence in the death of Nohema Graber.” The Snapchat messages go into how Miller and Goodale allegedly conducted surveillance on Graber, detailed the manner in which she was killed, where her vehicle was located, and how her body was disposed of.

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com