Fulton man charged with murder in connection to 1991 case

William Niemet
William Niemet

Updated at 9:05 p.m. with more information

A Fulton man has been charged in connection with the 1991 death of a Russellville area teenager.

At a news conference Thursday afternoon, Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson announced William Niemet, 43, was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Greg Jones, 14.

Authorities said 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.

Sheriff John Wheeler said the arrest and charging of Niemet was the result of seven months of investigation; he said they are still asking for the public's help in getting information about the case.

Due to the age of Niemet at the time of the offense, which was 14, the case was first handled by the Cole County Juvenile Office.

"If a juvenile commits a crime and is not arrested until after he or she becomes an adult, he or she still has to go through the juvenile process because he or she was a juvenile at the time the crime was committed," Thompson said.

Thompson said Niemet was certified during a hearing Wednesday.

As of Thursday evening, he was being held without bond in the Cole County Jail.

The Cole County Sheriff's Department probable cause statement filed Thursday afternoon states Jones went missing on the evening of April 24, 1991, from the area near his home, prompting his family to file a missing person's report with the sheriff's department. Jones' body was eventually discovered June 8, 1991.

During the investigation, 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 Jones 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.

A deputy arrived at Niemet's residence, looking for Jones, who had been reported missing. The deputy said he talked to Niemet, who was only wearing underwear.

A witness told authorities Niemet called his father at his work after the deputy left and took the phone outside to have a conversation. The witness said having a phone conversation outside and Niemet washing his own clothes was "unusual behavior" for him.

During a search for Jones on April 25, 1991, a deputy saw fresh tire tracks in the area where Jones' body was eventually found. The tracks were later found to match the tires on the four-wheeler Niemet had been riding the night the killing allegedly took place, according to deputies.

About two weeks before Jones' disappearance, Niemet told a witness Jones was "going to come up missing because he was going to kill him."

In February 1991, a witness told deputies Niemet was seen with a pistol on a school bus. A next-door neighbor reported to authorities that one of his pistols had been stolen, and he checked for it after he learned Niemet had been developed as a suspect in the murder of Jones. The neighbor also said Niemet had been in his residence months prior to the killing.

The pistol, a .357 magnum revolver, was capable of firing .38 special ammunition which is the type of rounds recovered in the skull of Jones.

On Aug. 12, 1991, .38 special ammunition was reportedly found during a search of the Niemet residence. Also during the search, Niemet's father allegedly told a witness to tell authorities the four-wheeler his son was riding the night the murder occurred was not working.

The report does not indicate the gun was recovered.

"Over the course of the investigation, multiple witnesses have come forward, claiming Niemet claimed responsibility for the murder of Greg Jones with three witnesses reporting Niemet told them about the murder," the probable cause statement stated. "They also claimed Niemet said he shot Jones before the body was recovered."

The report does not indicate a motive for the crime, although the Associated Press reported at the time that Jones' father had told authorities he recalled a bizarre comment by his son that someone had a "contract" on his life and had dismissed the remark.

Advancements in forensic technology, not available in 1991, allowed authorities to make an arrest in the case, Thompson said. He also encouraged anyone with information about the case to call the Jefferson City Area Crimestoppers Hotline at 875-TIPS, calling it a "fluid investigation."

"To the family and friends of Greg Jones, although we realize he can never come back, we hope this is the first step for the justice and closure that is long overdue," Thompson said.

In 2005, the Fulton Sun reported Niemet was a possible suspect in the death of a Fulton woman. Shawnda Reed had been shot to death in her home, and authorities charged Niemet - Reed's landlord - with insurance fraud as they claimed he had taken out a $150,000 insurance policy on Reed's life. They also charged him with forgery, claiming Niemet used false documents to obtain financing to construct Reed's home.

In 2006, prosecutors dropped the charges, citing a lack of evidence. The investigation into Reed's death is still open.

Earlier coverage - 3:35 p.m.

A Fulton man has been charged in connection with the death of a Russellville area teenager in 1991.

At a news conference on Thursday afternoon, Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson announced William Niemet was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Greg Jones, 14.

Authorities said Jones was initially reported missing April 24, 1991, and his remains were discovered by a neighbor in a drainage ditch on June 8, 1991, between Route D and Stringtown Road.

Thompson said Jones died from two bullet wounds to the head.

Cole County Sheriff John Wheeler said the arrest and charging of Niemet was the result of seven months of investigation and that they are still asking for the public's help in getting information about this case.

Due to the age of Niemet at the time of the offense, the case had to first be handled by the Cole County Juvenile Office.

"If a juvenile commits a crime and is not arrested until after he or she becomes an adult, he or she still has to go through the juvenile process because he or she was a juvenile at the time the crime was committed," Thompson said.

Thompson said Niemet was certified during a hearing on Wednesday.

He is being held without bond in the Cole County Jail.

Thompson and Wheeler declined to go into specifics about the case saying they wanted to preserve Niemet's right to a fair trial.