A man in Minnesota admitted to killing his pregnant sister and dismembering her body because he believed she was “no longer innocent” after she became pregnant.
The Dakota County Attorney’s Office announced that Jack Joseph Ball pleaded guilty to premeditated first-degree murder and premeditated first-degree murder of an unborn child following the death of his sister, Bethany Ann Israel, and her baby during a court hearing held on Wednesday, January 21.
After he entered his plea, prosecutors recommended that Ball, 24, be given a life prison sentence as part of his plea deal.
Ball “asserted a defense of mental illness” before he pleaded guilty, according to the county attorney’s office. He was initially facing second-degree murder charges on top of the other charges, though that charge has since been dropped.
A court trial is scheduled to take place on Thursday, May 21, where the state will challenge Ball’s mental illness defense. He will remain in custody at the Dakota County Jail until his next court date.
A grand jury indicted Ball on January 9, 2025. At the time, prosecutors explained in a press release that “several tools and large knives, all covered in blood, and several dismembered body parts” were found inside of his home in Lakeville, Minnesota.
On the night of her death, Israel, 30, “went to have dinner” at her brother’s home. Her loved ones grew concerned when they were unable to reach her several hours after she arrived at her brother’s home, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Their mother then drove to Ball’s home “to check on” the siblings, which was when she witnessed Ball “tear out of the house.” The mom entered the home and noticed a large amount of blood, which led her to call 911.
Officers then reported to the scene, where they found large pools of blood on the kitchen floor under the sink and even more blood on the sink’s cabinets.
Prosecutors said that a “bloody saw, hatchet, and large, bloody, knives” were also found in the home. Additionally, officers found a knife on the living room floor near the staircase, as well as several dismembered body parts throughout the home and on his neighbor’s steps.
“Shortly thereafter, police received a 911 call from a Rosemount resident reporting they observed a man on a home security camera place what appeared to be a body part on their front step,” the prosecutor’s office said in the press release. “After a brief search, Ball was located in the backyard of a neighboring home. He had a self-inflicted injury to his neck and was transported to a local hospital.”
Ball went to the hospital for treatment before he was ultimately taken into custody for his sister’s murder.
As investigators looked through the home, they found “several journals” in which Ball explained he was “angry” at Israel for becoming pregnant and he believed she was no longer “innocent.”
“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 statement after Ball’s arrest. “My office will work hard to ensure the victims receive justice and will provide the necessary support for the victims’ family.”
