Grand Jury Indicts Faribault Man for First-Degree Murder

A Rice County grand jury indicted 39-year-old Jason Nisbit for murder in the first degree and murder in the second degree.

In Minnesota, only a grand jury can decide a first-degree murder charge will be made.

The grand jury determined there was sufficient evidence to charge Nisbit with the first-degree premeditated murder of 26-year-old Chelsea Martinez of Columbus, Ohio, on or about August 1 of this year in Rice County.

They also provided a murder in the second degree charge without premeditation.

Sgt. Mark Hlady and Sgt. Nathan Budin of the Rice County Sheriff's Office, Investigators Nathan Hanson and Paul LaRoche of the Rice County Sheriff's Office, and Sgt. Brandon Gliem of the Faribault Police Department presented testimony before the grand jury.

Nisbit was arraigned Thursday and continues to be held in lieu of $1 million bail. The case was continued to an omnibus hearing, which has not been scheduled by the court.

According to the criminal complaint, Martinez and Nisbit met in an online chat room where she talked about suicide. Martinez then traveled to Faribault to meet with Nisbit. He allegedly told authorities he killed her and led them to her body.