More than six months later, on January 8, Weiser revealed that he had opened a grand jury investigation into the case. "The grand jury is an investigative tool that has the power to compel testimony from witnesses and require production of documents and other relevant information that would otherwise be unavailable," Weiser noted in a statement. "Our investigation will be thorough, guided by the facts and law, and worthy of the public’s trust." But Weiser's move troubles attorney Mari Newman of Denver-based Killmer, Lane & Newman, LLP, who represents McClain's family. "Prosecutors have historically used the grand jury process as a way to avoid responsibility in hot-button cases," she says. "I'm very concerned that the reason why the attorney general's office has empaneled this grand jury is that they want to steer it to a non-charging decision while at the same time avoiding responsibility if there are no charges brought."