Trial set for spring in Readsville murder case

Cases like that of William Niemet have made progress through Callaway County courts.
Cases like that of William Niemet have made progress through Callaway County courts.

During a year marked with delays for Missouri courts, progress on several notable Callaway County murder cases has slowed to a crawl.

Early in the pandemic, the Supreme Court of Missouri issued an order suspending all in-person proceedings in the state's courts, with a few exceptions. Those restrictions slowly eased as the court system in May instituted an "operational phase" system. At Phase Zero, all in-person proceedings are suspended; each subsequent phase relaxes restrictions slightly up to Phase Three, which allows the resumption of proceedings and the opening of courtrooms so long as social distancing and occupancy limit protocols are followed.

The Callaway County Courthouse has stood at Phase One since Oct. 25. Phase One allows for some critical in-person proceedings to occur (such as "the most extraordinary" grand and petit jury proceedings), with various safety protocols in place. Over the months, the local court has ricocheted between phases depending local COVID-19 conditions and cases within the court.

Despite the changing rules and disruptions, some progress has been made on cases of local interest. Read on for end-of-year updates.

William Niemet

A plea/trial setting hearing is scheduled for Jan. 13 in the Cole County circuit court in the case of William Niemet, a 44-year-old Fulton resident accused of killing Russellville resident Greg Jones in 1991, when both were 14.

On Feb. 27, Jones was charged with first-degree murder in the case. He pleaded "not guilty" on March 2, and was denied bail April 3, according to Missouri CaseNet. The court determined Niemet to be "a danger to the safety of the community."

Since then, Niemet's attorneys have filed multiple motions related to Niemet's medical care, including requests he be released on his own recognizance for medical reasons. Cole County Div. 2 Judge Daniel Richard Green granted Niemet furlough for medical treatment on May 27, and again on July 31.

On Aug. 26, Niemet's bond was set at $1 million, cash only; Green later introduced the condition Niemet was to be supervised by pre-trial services and equipped with a GPS monitor.

Niemet posted bond Sept. 1.

Most recently, the plea/trial setting hearing hearing scheduled for Dec. 16 had to be delayed "due to COVID-19," CaseNet states.

Jones was initially reported missing April 24, 1991, and his remains were discovered June 8, 1991, by a neighbor in a drainage ditch between Route D and Stringtown Road. Thompson said Jones died from two bullet wounds to the head.

The police investigation discovered at least two gunshots were heard on the night Jones went missing in the area where his body was recovered. The shots were heard around 8:30 p.m. by Jones' father, brother and neighbors.

Niemet was a classmate and known associate of Jones, and he resided about 1 mile from where Jones' body was recovered in the 7300 block of Walnut Acres Road.

A witness told authorities Niemet returned home at about 9 p.m. on the night of the alleged crime on his four-wheeler. The witness said Niemet appeared to have blood on his clothes, and he poured bleach on his pants and attempted to wash the clothes he had been wearing when he got inside the home.

About two weeks before Jones' disappearance, Niemet told a witness Jones was "going to come up missing because he was going to kill him." He was also spotted with a pistol. According to Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson, advancements in forensic technology, not available in 1991, allowed authorities to make an arrest in the case.

Niemet was also a person of interest in the 2005 murder of 29-year-old Fulton resident Shawnda Reed; that case has never been resolved.

Michael Hatfield

Michael Hatfield, of Readsville, is scheduled to go on trial for the death of Readsville resident James Newsom on March 9.

Newsom, 49, died of gunshot wounds at Hatfield's house in July 2019, and then-47-year-old Hatfield was arrested July 11 of that year. A grand jury formally indicted Hatfield on charges of second-degree murder and armed criminal action on Nov. 21, 2019. Hatfield pleaded not guilty shortly after, Dec. 2.

Then-Div. 4 Judge Jodie Asel rejected a request to reduce Hatfield's bond May 5. Hatfield's attorney later filed once more to request bond reduction. Div. 3 Judge Kevin Crane granted the request, setting Hatfield's bond at $600,000 on the condition that he not have contact with any witnesses in the cases, that he remain and reside in the state of Missouri and that he provides the circuit clerk with a valid address.

However, Hatfield has not yet posted bail; the Callaway County Jail confirmed Tuesday he's still incarcerated there.

Recently, the state (represented by Prosecuting Attorney Christopher Wilson) motioned to preclude the defense from sharing evidence about Newsom's "prior specific acts of violence through third party witnesses" during Hatfield's trial. Crane granted that motion Dec. 4 but ruled that Hatfield himself may testify about statements Newsom allegedly made to Hatfield about Newsom's "prior acts of violence against third parties." Further details about those claims are not available on CaseNet.

Hatfield himself called 911 on July 10, 2019.

He said Newsom had been at his home, at 10390 Erin Drive, and the two were drinking together while Hatfield packed for an upcoming move.

He claimed not to remember how the conflict began, but he remembered how it ended: with Newsom striking at him and reaching for a Glock, according to the probable cause statement. Hatfield reported he shot Newsom with a Sig Sauer model P238 handgun, and then passed out on the floor. He claimed Newsom was dead by the time he awoke.

Deputies headed to Hatfield's residence and found Newsom's body and the Sig Sauer.

Newsom had gunshot wounds to fingers of his right hand, his left bicep and right side, plus three in his abdomen. Investigators did not note any wounds on his hands aside from the gunshot wounds, according to the probable cause statement. Investigators found eight spent shell casings nearby.

Newsom wore a holstered firearm, loaded but with a clear chamber. The Callaway County Sheriff's Office wrote that it didn't appear the gun had been used or fired in the incident.

Hatfield had the smell of alcohol on his breath and bloodshot eyes, and told CCSO deputies he was researching self-defense. A witness told the CCSO he'd seen Hatfield leave the Hatfield leave the Hatfield residence, enter Newsom's residence and spend 15-20 minutes inside, leaving carrying "something small," shortly before Hatfield called 911.

Conrad Schmitt III

Conrad Schmitt III, suspect in the Ricky Ridings cold-case-turned-hot from 1981, was originally set to go to trial in March 2021. That trial was delayed in October over the state's objections; the next status hearing in the case is set for Feb. 16.

Schmitt, now 67, was indicted on May 3, 2018 on a charge of capital murder. He pleaded not guilty on May 30 of that year. His trial was initially set for Oct. 24, 2018 but it has been repeatedly pushed back.

The decomposed body of Ridings, a 27-year-old St. Louis-area resident, was discovered in an abandoned pickup truck near Portland on July 8, 1981. His features were obscured by close-range shotgun blast. The Callaway County Sheriff's Office pursued the case for weeks, but ultimately ceded the investigation to St. Louis-area law enforcement and federal authorities.

In a May 4, 2018 news release, Callaway County Sheriff Clay Chism explained the sheriff's office had received new information about the Ridings murder that prompted a reopening of the case in June 2017. Investigators worked with the Missouri Department of Corrections, the O'Fallon Police Department and medical examiners.

Schmittis currently incarcerated in Missouri's Southeast Correctional Center in Charleston, where he is serving life without parole for first-degree murder and armed criminal action. He was convicted in 1998 in St. Charles County for the 1995 killing of Chester McCarthy, of O'Fallon.