A Minnesota man who decided his pregnant sister was “no longer innocent” has admitted to killing her, dismembering her body and leaving pieces of her remains in multiple locations, authorities said.
Jack Joseph Ball, 24, pleaded guilty last week to the murders of 30-year-old sister Bethany Ann Israel and her unborn baby, according to the Dakota County Attorney’s Office.
Israel, who was married to Josh Israel, was killed on May 23, 2024. According to court documents, she had gone to her brother’s Lakeville home around 6 p.m. to have dinner with him. Several hours later, family members grew concerned when they had not heard from her.
At about 11 p.m., their mother drove to the home to check on her daughter. When she arrived, she saw Ball “tear out of the house,” prosecutors said. When she went inside Ball’s home, she discovered a large amount of blood and called 911.
Officers from the Lakeville Police Department found a “bloody saw, hatchet, and large, bloody knives” and “several dismembered body parts” inside the home, according to the DA’s office.
“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.”
After a brief search, Ball was found in the backyard of a neighboring home. He had a self-inflicted injury to his neck and was taken to a local hospital before being taken into custody.
Investigators later recovered several handwritten journals in which Ball wrote that he was “angry” at his sister because she was “pregnant and ‘no longer innocent,’” prosecutors said.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed Israel was between 17 and 18 weeks pregnant, and determined her cause of death was “complex homicidal violence.”
“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. “My office will work hard to ensure the victims receive justice and will provide the necessary support for the victims’ family.”
A GoFundMe created by Israel’s family describes her as a “cherished wife, daughter, sister, and an expectant mother” who had a “radiant spirit and unwavering kindness.”
“Her love for life, her family, and the friendships she nurtured are the legacies she leaves behind,” the campaign continued. “As a beacon of warmth and generosity, Bethany’s absence leaves a void that cannot be filled.”
In January 2025, Ball, who has claimed a defense of mental illness, was indicted on two counts of premeditated first-degree murder and two counts of intentional second-degree murder.
Last week, Ball pleaded guilty to counts one and three of the indictment — premeditated first-degree murder and premeditated first-degree murder of an unborn child. Prosecutors have recommended that Ball serve a life sentence as part of the plea deal.
Minnesota law allows defendants to claim they are not criminally responsible if mental illness prevented them from understanding what they were doing or knowing it was wrong at the time of the offense, Law & Crime reported.
Ball remains behind bars at the Dakota County Jail. He is set to return to court on May 21, where the State will litigate Ball’s defense of mental illness, according to the Dakota County Attorney’s Office.
If convicted, Ball faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison.
