Murder Case Refiled Against Former Quincy Golden Corral Operator in 1991 Cold Case
William “Chris” Niemet has pleaded not guilty to a first-degree murder charge in the death of 14-year-old Greg Jones. A preliminary hearing is now scheduled for Oct. 27 in Cole County.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. A decades-old murder case with ties to Quincy is again moving forward in Cole County, where William “Chris” Niemet, the former owner and operator of Quincy’s Golden Corral, is charged with first-degree murder in the 1991 death of a teenage classmate.
Niemet has pleaded not guilty.
Court records show a judge denied Niemet’s third amended motion to dismiss during a Sept. 8 hearing. He waived formal arraignment, entered a not-guilty plea and is now scheduled for a preliminary hearing at 9 a.m. Oct. 27 before Judge Emily Fretwell.
The hearing is expected to occupy the full day, according to the court docket.
The latest development follows a complicated procedural history that has included previous dismissals, appellate intervention and the refiling of the murder charge earlier this year.
Niemet, now of Fulton, Missouri, previously owned and operated the Golden Corral restaurant at 3908 Broadway in Quincy. He was originally charged in 2020 in connection with the death of Greg Jones, a 14-year-old Russellville student who disappeared in April 1991.
A 35-Year-Old Case
Jones was reported missing April 24, 1991.
His body was discovered approximately six weeks later, on June 8, in a wooded area near Russellville. Investigators determined he had suffered two gunshot wounds to the head, and his death was ruled a homicide. (News Tribune)
Niemet and Jones were classmates at the time.
Investigators questioned Niemet during the original investigation, but no murder charge was filed against him until February 2020, nearly 29 years after Jones’ death. The case had been reopened the previous year. (ABC17NEWS)
The current first-degree murder charge alleges that Niemet killed Jones. The accusation remains unproven, and Niemet is presumed innocent unless and until he is found guilty in court.
Investigators Cite ATV Tracks, Gunshots and Witness Accounts
Court records and probable cause documents outline the evidence investigators say led them back to Niemet.
According to those records, members of Jones’ family and people living in the area reported hearing at least two gunshots on the night Jones disappeared.
Investigators alleged that Niemet returned home on a four-wheeler roughly 30 minutes after the shots were heard.
Authorities later compared tire impressions discovered near the location where Jones’ body was found with the unusual tire configuration on Niemet’s ATV. Investigators have alleged that the tracks were consistent with the vehicle.
The probable cause statement also included witness accounts alleging that Niemet had possessed a handgun in the months before Jones’ death.
One witness told investigators Niemet had brought a pistol onto a school bus. Investigators also documented statements alleging Niemet had made threatening comments about Jones before the killing.
Those accounts are allegations contained in investigative and court records and have not yet been tested before a jury.
Investigators additionally focused on a revolver reported stolen from the home of one of Niemet’s neighbors.
According to the probable cause statement, the neighbor told investigators Niemet frequently visited his property. Authorities said the missing revolver was capable of firing the type of ammunition recovered during the homicide investigation, and similar ammunition was allegedly found at Niemet’s residence.
Case Has Taken an Unusual Path Through Court
The prosecution has faced repeated delays and legal challenges since Niemet was first charged in 2020.
A jury trial had most recently been scheduled for January 2026 after earlier trial dates were postponed.
The procedural history became even more complicated this year when the Missouri Attorney General’s Office became involved in prosecuting the case.
The first-degree murder charge was refiled in May, with attorneys from the Missouri attorney general’s office and Cole County prosecutor’s office listed on the case. (News Tribune)
The case was later dismissed in July over a dispute concerning the attorney general’s authority to participate in the prosecution. The Missouri Court of Appeals subsequently intervened, leading to the case being restored to the active docket. Another dismissal occurred in August before the prosecution again obtained reinstatement. (ABC17NEWS)
That procedural battle brought the case to the Sept. 8 hearing.
According to the latest docket entry, prosecutors appeared along with Niemet and his attorneys. The court heard arguments on the defense’s third amended motion to dismiss and denied the request.
Niemet then entered his plea of not guilty.
Preliminary Hearing Set for October
The next major proceeding is scheduled for Oct. 27 at 9 a.m. in Cole County Circuit Court.
A preliminary hearing is not a trial and does not determine whether a defendant is guilty. It generally requires prosecutors to present enough evidence for a judge to determine whether probable cause exists to continue the prosecution.
The hearing could provide one of the more detailed public examinations yet of the evidence underlying the 35-year-old case.
For Quincy residents, the case has maintained a local connection because of Niemet’s previous ownership and operation of the Golden Corral on Broadway, which has since closed.
For the family of Greg Jones, however, the case reaches back much further, to the disappearance of a 14-year-old boy in rural Cole County in the spring of 1991.
More than three decades later, the question of what happened to him remains before the courts.
Quincy Current will continue following the case as the Oct. 27 preliminary hearing approaches.
Niemet is charged with a crime and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
