A 23-year-old is charged with killing his pregnant sister at his Lakeville home and dismembering her body.
Jack Joseph Ball faces two counts of second-degree murder for Thursday’s killings of 30-year-old Bethany Ann Israel of Bloomington and her unborn child, who was four months along, the charges say.
Ball was arrested late Thursday in Rosemount, about five miles northeast of the homicide scene, and had a self-inflicted knife wound across his throat. He’s been at Regions Hospital in St. Paul since.
Ball appeared in Dakota County District Court through video conferencing from Regions. Judge Bryce Ehrman set bail at $2 million without conditions, or $1 million with conditions. After Ball is medically cleared, he will be booked into the Dakota County Jail.
“This is a disturbing murder of the defendant’s sister and her unborn child,” Assistant Dakota County Attorney Stacy St. George told the court Tuesday in asking for the high bail amount. “Journal entries indicate that this may have been premediated. As the complaint describes, the defendant murdered, then dismembered the body and placed various body parts in different locations in Dakota County.”
According to the criminal complaint and Lakeville police:
Israel’s mother called 911 just after 11 p.m. and reported that she believed her daughter had been killed inside a home in the 17000 block of Encina Path.
When officers arrived, the mother said Israel went to the home around 6 p.m. that night to have dinner with her brother, who was identified as Ball.
She said family had not heard from Israel and were concerned and so she drove to the home to check on her. She said when she arrived, Ball “tore out of the house.” She went inside, saw a large amount of blood and called 911.
Officers saw a pool of blood on the kitchen floor and blood under the sink and on cabinets. They found a saw, hatchet and large knives, all of which were covered in blood.
A knife was on the living room floor near a staircase to the second level. “In continuing their search, they located several dismembered body parts believed to be those of (Israel),” the complaint says.
Found in Rosemount
Israel’s mother told police that she believed Ball may have gone to a cemetery in Rosemount because relatives were buried there. Rosemount and Apple Valley police officers searched for Ball.
Police received a 911 call from a Rosemount homeowner who reported that a male was seen on their front door Ring camera placing what appeared to be a body part on the front step. Officers arrived and confirmed it was a body part, believed to be that of Israel.
Officers found Ball by a shed in the backyard of a nearby home, where his car was also parked. He had blood on his head, arms, legs and clothes, and a knife wound across his throat.
Despite the injury, the complaint notes, “(Ball) was able to communicate with officers and accurately told them the date, time and name of the current president.”
Police searched the area and found several dismembered body parts believed to be those of Israel.
Lakeville police investigators learned from Israel’s family that she was pregnant with her first child.
At the Lakeville home, investigators found journals and other writings by Ball. He wrote that he was angry his sister was pregnant and “no longer innocent.”
‘Beloved figure’
An autopsy by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office showed Israel died from complex homicidal violence, and that she was between 17 and 18 weeks pregnant.
“The allegations in this case are deeply disturbing and horrific — words can’t describe what our law enforcement partners encountered during the investigation,” Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena said in a Tuesday statement. “My office will work hard to ensure the victims receive justice and will provide the necessary support for the victims’ family.”
Ball does not have a criminal history, court records show, and neither the complaint nor officials noted any mental illness issues in his past.
Ball’s next court appearance is scheduled for June 10. Court records do not list an attorney for him.
Israel was remembered in a GoFundMe page as a “cherished wife, daughter, sister, and an expectant mother” who was also a “beloved figure” in the volleyball community. “Her love for life, her family, and the friendships she nurtured are the legacies she leaves behind,” the fundraising page reads. “As a beacon of warmth and generosity, Bethany’s absence leaves a void that cannot be filled.”
Lakeville’s most recent homicide also involved a woman and her unborn child. In January 2023, Donte McCray shot 31-year-old Kyla O’Neal, who was nine months pregnant with his child, in the parking lot of the Amazon Fulfillment Center where McCray worked. McCray, 34, is serving a 47-year prison sentence after he pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder.
