A Fulton man charged earlier this year with fatally shooting his 14-year-old classmate in 1991 in Cole County posted a $1 million cash bond and was allowed to be released Monday from the Cole County Jail.
Cole County Judge Dan Green ordered William Christopher Niemet, 43, be supervised by the county's pre-trial services and that he wear a GPS monitor, according to online court records. He is scheduled to appear in court later this month.
Niemet is charged with one count of first-degree murder.
Cole County Associate Circuit Judge Cotton Walker initially denied Niemet bond during a hearing in March. Niemet's attorney, Curtis Hanrahan, also waived a preliminary hearing on the murder charge his client faces and pleaded not guilty to the charge. Walker then sent Niemet's case to the circuit court division to be heard by Green.
Green allowed for a reduced bond during a hearing last Wednesday, setting it at $1 million, cash only, according to online court records.
Authorities believe Niemet killed Greg Jones, who was 14 at the time when his body was found in June 1991 near a branch of the Moreau River near Russellville. That ended a search that began after his 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, who was 14 at the time, and Jones were classmates, according to authorities. He was one of several people questioned in the shooting.
Because he was a juvenile at the time, Niemet had to go through juvenile court processes before authorities could certify him to be tried as an adult.
Authorities said the investigation is ongoing and urged anyone with information to contact authorities.
Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson attributed the arrest in part to advancements in technology since 1991.
The Cole County Sheriff's Department 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 does note ammunition was recovered at Niemet's residence that matched the type of rounds recovered in Jones' skull.
The probable cause statement also states deputies interviewed several witnesses, "claiming Niemet claimed responsibility for the murder of Greg Jones with three witnesses reporting Niemet told them about the murder."