Ask MRN: What happened to the guy who owned Quincy’s Golden Corral and was charged with murder?

Dear MRN,

The Golden Corral has set empty for a couple years now. Whatever happened to the guy who owned it and was charged for the murder of a young boy years ago? I never did hear if he had gone to trial or what.

William Christopher Niemet of Fulton, Mo., owner of the Golden Corral at 3908 Broadway in Quincy, was arrested in February 2020 and charged with one count of first-degree murder in connection with the 1991 shooting death of Greg Jones. He is scheduled to appear in a Cole County courtroom in Jefferson City, Mo., on Tuesday, June 29 for a hearing in front of Judge Dan Green. 

Police said new technology led to the arrest of Niemet. Prosecutors say Niemet, who was 15 at the time, shot and killed Jones, a 14-year-old classmate. Niemet posted a $1 million cash bond in September 2020 and was released from the Cole County Jail. 

Niemet’s attorneys are Curtis Hanrahan and William Nacy of the Hanrahan & Nacy law firm of Jefferson City. Locke Thompson is prosecuting the case for Cole County.

The Jefferson City News Tribune reported that authorities said Jones’ decomposed body was found June 8, 1991, near a branch of the Moreau River near Russellville. That ended a search which began after Jones’ parents called authorities when their son was two hours late for supper April 24, 1991. An autopsy found Jones was shot twice in the head.

Niemet was arrested on June 14, 1991, but the prosecutor eventually dropped the case. Niemet was released.

Niemet filed a 1997 lawsuit against Sheriff John Hemeyer and Cole County, claiming the sheriff arrested him on the basis of false information and held him in custody to “sweat out” a murder confession.

The News Tribune said the Cole County Sheriff’s Department’s probable cause statement filed when Niemet was charged does not indicate a motive and does not indicate the gun used in the killing was recovered. It notes ammunition recovered at Niemet’s residence matched the type of rounds recovered in Jones’ skull.

The probable cause statement also states deputies interviewed several witnesses who claim “Niemet claimed responsibility for the murder of Greg Jones, with three witnesses reporting Niemet told them about the murder.”

The felony complaint filed in Cole County says, “A person found guilty of murder in the first degree who was under the age of 18 at the time of the commission of the offense shall be sentenced to a term of life without eligibility for probation or parole … life imprisonment with eligibility for parole or not less than 30 years and not to exceed 40 years imprisonment.”

Niemet opened the Golden Corral during the summer of 2016. He bought the property in 2015 as the agent for C&D Enterprises of Merrillville (Ind.), LLC, and the restaurant was built for $3.74 million. The restaurant was closed shortly after Niemet’s arrest and now is vacant. 

Community State Bank of Galva, Ill., now has the property after a 2021 foreclosure, according to documents in the Adams County Recorder’s Office. The building, with 8,343 square feet, and a 125-car parking lot are on about two acres of land. It is for sale for $1.495 million. Happel Realtors is the licensed real estate agent.