Left inset: Jack Ball (Dakota County Sheriff’s Office). Right inset: Bethany Ann Israel and her husband Josh Israel (GoFundMe). Background: Authorities at the Minnesota home where Bethany Israel’s brother, Jack Ball, killed and dismembered her (KSTP/YouTube).
A disturbing case has emerged in Minnesota, where a 24-year-old man confessed to the murder of his pregnant sister, subsequently dismembering her body and dispersing the remains across multiple locations. He justified his actions by claiming that her pregnancy rendered her “no longer innocent.”
Jack Joseph Ball, hailing from Lakeville, recently admitted to charges of premeditated first-degree murder and premeditated first-degree murder of an unborn child in connection with the deaths of his 30-year-old sister, Bethany Ann Israel, and her unborn baby. This information comes from the Dakota County Attorney’s Office. As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors have suggested that Ball receive a life sentence.
Initially, Ball had claimed a defense based on mental illness before opting to plead guilty. Alongside the first-degree charges, he was also facing charges of second-degree murder, which have since been dropped.
In January 2025, a grand jury officially indicted Ball. Prosecutors detailed the case in a press release, revealing the discovery of “several tools and large knives, all covered in blood, and numerous dismembered body parts” at Ball’s Lakeville residence, situated approximately 23 miles south of Minneapolis.
The tragic sequence of events began when Israel went to her brother’s home for dinner. After several hours passed without any contact, family members grew concerned, as noted by the DA’s office.
Their mother, worried about her children, visited Ball’s home to check on them. Upon arrival, she saw Ball hastily leaving the house. Once inside, she was confronted by a scene of significant bloodshed and immediately contacted authorities by calling 911.
Officers went to the residence and observed a large pool of blood on the kitchen floor under the sink and blood on the sink cabinets. Additionally, they observed a “bloody saw, hatchet, and large, bloody, knives,” according to court documents cited by prosecutors. As they continued moving through the house, they saw a knife on the living room floor near the staircase that led to the second floor. Officers found several dismembered body parts.
“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 DA’s office said. “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 was transported to the hospital for treatment and then taken into custody.
Investigators said they found “several journals” in Ball’s handwriting in which he said he was “angry” at his sister because she was “pregnant and ‘no longer innocent,’” according to prosecutors.
“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 launched by Israel’s family describes how she was a “cherished wife, daughter, sister, and an expectant mother” who had a “radiant spirit and unwavering kindness.”
