A Minnesota man pleaded guilty last week to killing and dismembering his pregnant sister because he was angry that she was pregnant and “no longer innocent.”
Jack Joseph Ball, 24, pleaded guilty to first degree murder and first degree murder of a fetus, the Dakota County Attorney’s Office said. He had also been charged with two counts of second degree murder; those counts were dismissed.
Ball was indicted a year ago on the charges relating to the death of Bethany Ann Israel, 30. Court documents say that Israel went to have dinner with Ball at his home on May 23, 2024, but family members became concerned when they didn’t hear from her after several hours. At about 11 p.m., Israel’s mother drove to Ball’s home, saw him “tear out of the house,” and found a large amount of blood inside.
In addition to Israel’s severed body parts, responding police officers discovered a bloody saw and large knives at the residence, CrimeOnline reported. Cops were reportedly called to another home where a resident claimed their doorbell camera filmed Ball dropping a body part on their front porch.
Reports indicated that Israel was about four months pregnant at the time of the incident. Police found Ball near the crime scene, in a vehicle with a self-inflicted stab wound to his neck. More of Israel’s remains were found in the vicinity.
Ball reportedly wrote in journals that he was angry at his sister because she was pregnant and “no longer innocent.”
Ball has asserted a mental health defense, the district attorney’s office said, and that portion of his case is scheduled to go to trial in May. If the judge finds that he was not mentally capable of determining right from wrong when he murdered his sister, he will be referred for civil commitment, the Pioneer Press reported. Otherwise, he’ll be sentenced to the mandatory life without parole.
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[Featured image: Bethany Israel and her husband, Josh Israel/Facebook]
