Fitness champions Craig Titus and Kelly Ryan are the subject of grand jury proceedings related to the slaying of their personal assistant.
Louis Palazzo, an attorney for Titus and Ryan's co-defendant, Anthony Gross, confirmed Wednesday that his client had received notice that prosecutors intended to seek an indictment from a grand jury.
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If the grand jury returns an indictment, the preliminary hearing for the case, scheduled for this month, will be canceled.
Taking the case against Titus, Ryan and Gross to a grand jury instead of choosing to hold a preliminary hearing is significant because, for the time being at least, much of the evidence against Titus and Ryan will remain confidential.
By law, grand jury proceedings are secret.
In addition, prosecution witnesses are not subject to cross-examination from defense attorneys in appearances before a grand jury. At preliminary hearings, defense attorneys can challenge the credibility of the witnesses.
Ryan's attorney, Tom Pitaro, declined to comment, and Titus' attorney, Richard Schonfeld, could not be reached.
Prosecutors in the case did not respond to a request for comment.
The body of Melissa James, 28, Titus and Ryan's live-in personal assistant, was found Dec. 14 in the trunk of Ryan's burning car off state Route 160.
Titus and Ryan remain jailed on charges of murder and arson.
Gross, 23, was arrested on charges of arson and being an accessory to murder. Authorities allege he helped dispose of James' body.
Gross is out of jail after posting bail.
Titus told police that he was having an affair with James and that his wife did not know about it, according to a police report.
Titus and Ryan later told police that they had discovered that James was stealing from them and kicked her out of their house in southwest Las Vegas, the report said.
The pair also said James had stolen Ryan's car, but neither allegation was reported to police until after James' body was found, the report said.
Titus and Ryan were arrested near Boston and told police that James had died of a drug overdose in their house and that panic was the reason they had disposed of her body in the way they did.
Palazzo said Gross was "planning on defending himself and demonstrating his innocence."
