COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Fulton man who is accused of killing his classmate in 1991 has asked for his case to be dismissed.

William “Chris” Niemet, of Fulton, is accused of killing his classmate, Greg Jones, in April 1991 in Russellville. Jones was 14. Niemet also would have been 14 at the time. Niemet was charged in 2020 with first-degree murder.

The trial has been delayed multiple times.

Niemet’s lawyer filed a motion for dismissal with prejudice on Wednesday over an accusation of a lack of evidence.

The motion claims that there is no date or location listed for the victim’s death and alleges there’s no weapon or ammunition traced to the crime.

A hearing will be held on Wednesday, June 25.

A pretrial conference is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Jan. 16, 2026; while a trial is set for 9 a.m. Jan. 20, 2026.

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Pope Leo XIV presides over the mass for the Jubilee of Sport in the Vatican on June 15. (Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images/FILE via CNN Newsource)

Pope Leo XIV has said the Catholic Church must establish a culture that refuses to tolerate abuse in “any form,” as he thanked a Peruvian journalist for reporting on allegations of abuse inside a powerful Catholic group.

Leo’s remarks, the first he has made publicly on the church’s abuse scandals since his election to the papacy on May 8, were contained in a message sent for the performance of a play which dramatizes the work of an investigative journalist, Paola Ugaz, who has faced a long campaign of legal actions and death threats due to her reporting.

“It is urgent to ingrain throughout the Church a culture of prevention that does not tolerate any form of abuse — neither of power or authority, nor of conscience or spirituality, nor sexual,” Leo wrote in a message read on 20 June. “This culture will only be authentic if it is born of active vigilance, transparent processes, and sincere listening to those who have been hurt.”

The pope said the work of journalism was essential to implementing that culture of prevention, as he praised Ugaz and other Peruvian journalists for their reporting on abuse scandals inside the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae (Sodality of Christian Life, or SCV), a hugely influential Catholic society which had deep ties to Peru’s powerful and wealthy.

Paola Ugaz A portrait of journalist Paola Ugaz taken in Lima, Peru, in January 2021. (Hugo Perez/GDA/AP via CNN Newsource)

Pope Leo, who spent years working as a missionary and bishop in Peru, came face-to-face with the SCV case when working in the country with Ugaz, and several survivors have said he was crucial in ensuring action was taken against the now dissolved group.

In his message, the first American pope said it was vital the church followed “a concrete path of humility, truth, and reparation” when it came to tackling abuses and cited a landmark 2018 letter from Pope Francis, in which he pledged the church’s “commitment to guarantee the protection of minors and vulnerable adults”. Leo insisted that the response to abuse cannot simply be a “strategy” but requires a “conversion” by the church, which for decades has been grappling with devastating revelations of sexual abuse by priests and other church leaders.

The pope’s praise of journalists’ work in exposing abuse scandals is significant, given that some bishops have in the past criticized the media for its reporting on them. Leo XIV, however, said the journalists who had reported on the Sodalitium had done so with “courage, patience, and fidelity to the truth” and had faced “unjust attacks.”

The pope said the church recognized the “wound” in “so many children, young people, and adults who were betrayed where they sought solace” and “those who risked their freedom and their (good) names so that the truth would not be buried.”

The June 20 message from Leo was read at a performance in Lima, Peru, of the play “Proyecto Ugaz” (Project Ugaz), which highlights Ugaz’s years-long investigation into the Sodalitium. Monsignor Jordi Bertomeu, one of the Vatican investigators into the Sodalitium group, read out the message with Ugaz on stage alongside him.

The work of journalists is vital, Leo insisted, in ensuring the church is a place where “no one suffers in silence” and where “the truth is not seen as a threat, but as a path to liberation. He praised Ugaz and fellow journalists for their courage in exposing the abuses.

Pope Leo also referenced “tensions” in Peru, which have been heightened following the removal of President Pedro Castillo in 2022, and he underlined the importance of a free media in a country where journalists have faced intimidation and attacks.

“In this time of profound institutional and social tensions, defending free and ethical journalism is not only an act of justice, but a duty of all those who yearn for a solid and participatory democracy,” he said. “Wherever a journalist is silenced, the democratic soul of a country is weakened. Freedom of the press is an inalienable common good. Those who conscientiously exercise this vocation cannot see their voices silenced by petty interests or fear of the truth.”

A few days after his election, the pope met media representatives in the Vatican and during that gathering he stressed his support for a free press and called for the release of imprisoned journalists. Ugaz was among those present at the meeting, and after his speech she greeted Leo with a broad smile, as she handed him a box of chocolates and a Peruvian scarf.

That meeting with the media, Leo explained in his message on June 20, affirmed the “sacred mission” of journalists to “become bridges between the facts and the conscience of the people.”

By Christopher Lamb.

CNN —

The canonization of Carlo Acutis, the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint, will take place on September 7, Pope Leo XIV has announced.

Acutis, an Italian teenager who died from leukemia in 2006, will be declared a saint by Leo at a ceremony in St. Peter’s Square expected to be attended by thousands of young people.

Acutis was just 15 when he died, but during his short life he used his computing skills to spread awareness of the Catholic faith by setting up a website that documented reports of miracles.

The Vatican said on Friday that following a meeting with cardinals Pope Leo will canonize Acutis in September, along with another youthful saint, Pier Giorgio Frassatti, who died in 1925 at age 24. Acutis’ canonization had been scheduled for April 27 but was postponed after the death of Pope Francis.

The September 7 ceremony will be the first canonization presided over by Pope Leo, the first American pontiff.

Acutis, nicknamed God’s influencer, has developed a strong following among young Catholics and beyond. The British-born Italian teenager, who loved video-gaming, is often depicted wearing jeans and trainers, making him a relatable figure to a new generation of Catholics.

His canonization also comes as recent surveys in the United Kingdom and United States show a rise in interest in Catholicism among Generation Z.

The church’s sainthood process normally requires that candidates have two miracles attributed to them, with each reported supernatural occurrence requiring in-depth examination. In May, a second miracle attributed to Acutis was recognized by Pope Francis, a decision that paved the way for the teen to be declared a saint.

Acutis was beatified (declared “blessed”) in 2020 after his first miracle, when he reportedly healed a Brazilian boy with a birth defect that left him unable to eat normally. The boy was reportedly healed after his mother said she prayed to Acutis to intercede and help heal her son.

The second miracle attributed to Acutis relates to the reported healing of a girl from Costa Rica who had suffered a head trauma after falling from her bicycle in Florence, Italy, where she was studying. Her mother said she prayed for her daughter’s recovery at the tomb of Acutis in Assisi.

Acutis’ mother, Antonia Salzano, previously told CNN that her son spent time helping the homeless in Milan and giving his pocket money to those sleeping on the street.

CNN —

The Italian Open crowd has had plenty of local success to celebrate over the last week-and-a-half, with Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti reaching the semifinals of the men’s draw, and Jasmine Paolini reaching the final on the women’s side.

An imperious Sinner, who returned from a three-month doping ban at the tournament, dropped just one game as he crushed No. 6 seed Caper Ruud 6-0 6-1 on Thursday.

Perhaps there has been an element of divine intervention for Sinner this week after the world No. 1 met the new pope, Leo XIV, at the Vatican on Wednesday and gifted the pontiff a tennis racket.

“I never experienced something like this,” Sinner said of the meeting. “I met important people in my young life. This was just something else.

“I didn’t know exactly really what to say. It was a very emotional thing also with my parents there. It was something I will never forget, that’s for sure.”

Meanwhile, Ruud took Thursday’s defeat with good humor, saying that “it was just like playing a wall that shoots 100mph balls at you all the time.”

“It doesn’t feel so bad,” Ruud dded. “Honestly, I think it was more fun than anything, even though I lost love and one, it’s like you just look at the guy and say: ‘Wow, this is kind of next-level s**t.’

“Excuse my language. I don’t know what else to say. It was almost fun to witness at the same time.”

Ruud added it was “as near as perfect” a performance he has witnessed first-hand from a tennis player.

Sinner is into the Italian Open semifinals for the first time in his career. Piero Cruciatti/AFP/Getty Images

Sinner will now face American Tommy Paul in Friday’s semifinal.

No. 11 seed Paul hasn’t had the best of luck off the court this week. He told reporters after his quarterfinal win over Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz that a couple of missed payments meant his beloved truck, which he called his “baby,” had been repossessed.

Paul said he sent his trainer with $1,000 to go and collect the truck in Florida while he competed in Rome.

Meanwhile, Sinner’s compatriot Musetti will face Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in the other men’s semifinal after an impressive 7-6(1), 6-1 win over No. 2 seed Alex Zverev.

Musetti boasts a vast repertoire of shots and his game is a joy to behold when in the kind of form he demonstrated against Zverev. His one-handed backhand is especially aesthetic in an era dominated by two-handers.

The 23-year-old has enjoyed a successful clay-court season so far, reaching the final in Monte-Carlo, the semifinals in Madrid and now the last four again in Rome.

“Full crowd, full stadium, and that’s a big advantage,” Musetti said after his win on Wednesday, per the ATP. “All this week there has been incredible support from the fans.

“I felt the adrenaline and energy from the first point, even if it was not an easy start, but I managed to come back and find a way, and that’s the key of this match.”

Paolini set for showdown with Gauff

Jasmine Paolini could end a 40-year wait for an Italian winner of the women’s singles title. Alfredo Falcone/AP

Meanwhile, Paolini is the first Italian woman in 11 years to reach the final of the Italian Open, where she will face America’s Coco Gauff on Saturday.

The home favorite earned a 7-5, 6-1 victory against the USA’s Peyton Stearns in Thursday’s semifinal, while Gauff defeated Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(4).

Should Paolini win on Saturday, she would end a 40-year wait for an Italian woman to win the title.

“In the first round I was nervous and in the second also, and maybe again today, but the crowd was unbelievable and they helped me a lot,” Paolini told Sky Sports.

“It’s beautiful to play here in Italy and they support us no matter what, so that is the most important thing.”

The No. 6 seed has experienced lifting a trophy at her home tournament, clinching the doubles title last year with compatriot Sara Errani, the last Italian woman to reach the singles final in Italy.

Paolini and Errani are also both through to the women’s doubles final this year. The Italian pair beat Diana Shnaider and Mirra Andreeva in the semifinal in straight sets on Friday.