A grand jury will convene next week regarding the alleged murder case of Jody Lee Morrow by her estranged boyfriend, Chad Jamie Gulbertson.

Freeborn County Attorney Craig Nelson on Tuesday said the request to convene a grand jury was prepared by Assistant Minnesota Attorney General Bill Klumpp on behalf of the Freeborn County Attorney’s Office.

This means there is a possibility the 37-year-old Albert Lea man could be indicted on additional charges, possibly a first-degree murder charge.

Nelson said the exact information about when the grand jury will convene and who will be on that jury cannot be disclosed; however, once the session is completed, a transcript of the proceedings can be obtained.

Gulbertson, who is charged with second- and third-degree murder, was arrested in June after authorities found Morrow, 38, dead inside her trailer at 730 Larimore Circle in Albert Lea.

Before officers found Morrow, Gulbertson reportedly came into the Law Enforcement Center with a family member and told an officer he thought he killed his former girlfriend, according to police reports.

A preliminary report from the Freeborn County medical examiner determined that Morrow’s death was caused by multiple blunt force injuries to her head with a hammer, according to the criminal complaint filed in court.

This will not be the first time a grand jury has convened in an alleged homicide case.

The county attorney said every year, the district court draws a grand jury panel list, made up of people chosen at random from a cross-section of residents in Freeborn County who are qualified to serve as jurors. In January, members are notified they are on the panel.

A grand jury can be summoned and convened whenever requested by the county attorney, Nelson said. The jury consists of between 16 and 23 people, of whose identities are kept secret.

An indictment may be issued if at least 12 jurors agree there is probable cause the defendant committed the offense, he said.

Under Minnesota law, the grand jury is the only means by which a first-degree murder charge can be issued. The jury also has the capability of bringing other charges they deem appropriate or taking away charges that have already been filed, he added.

He estimated the grand jury in the Gulbertson case will be in session for at least a couple of days, or maybe more. Deliberations can last as long as the jurors choose.

As the grand jury convenes, results are still pending from a competency evaluation of Gulbertson, which will determine whether he will be competent to stand trial. This evaluation is due back by the end of October.