A Minnesota man charged with murdering his pregnant sister and her unborn child has been seen for the first time since the charges were filed. Jack Joseph Ball, 23, is facing two counts of second-degree murder for the death of his sister Bethany Israel, 30, according to reports.
Police were called to Ball’s home in Lakeville, Minnesota, last Thursday after family members became worried about Israel, who went incommunicado. Israel was already between 17 and 18 weeks pregnant at the time and was found with ‘several dismembered body parts’ in Ball’s home. Ball was formally booked into Dakota County Jail on Friday, with a court appearance set for June 10.
Brother Kills Sister
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Responding officers found Ball covered in blood after he was seen fleeing the scene. He was subsequently taken into custody and charged. According to charging documents obtained by DailyMail.com, Lakeville Police responded to a 911 call from Israel’s mother.
Family members had grown concerned when Israel hadn’t returned home after having dinner with her brother earlier that evening. The mother said she drove to the house and saw Ball hastily leaving the premises, telling officers that “he just tore out of the house.”
Upon entering the home, the family member saw a lot of blood and called 911.
Responding officers found a large pool of blood on the kitchen floor, under the sink, and on the sink cabinets. They also found a bloody saw, hatchet, and large knives covered in blood, along with Ball’s journals, as they searched the house.
As they continued to search the property, they found several dismembered body parts they believed to belong to Israel.
While searching for Ball, police received another 911 call from a resident in nearby Rosemount.
The resident said that he saw a man leave what appeared to be a body part on their front porch, as caught by their ring camera.
Killer Brother
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When officers responded to the address, they found Ball in the backyard of a neighboring property. Police described Ball as being covered in blood on his head, shirt, arms, legs, and pants, with a self-inflicted knife wound across his throat.
Ball communicated with the officers, providing the date, time, and the current president’s name before being taken into custody and transported to a local hospital.
During their search of the area, officers found more dismembered body parts believed to belong to Israel.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of death to be “complex homicidal violence.”
Neighbor Cindy Bond, who lives across the street, told KSTP, “My husband heard a female scream. Then a minute later, there was shouting and a car peeling off.”
On Tuesday, Ball appeared in Dakota County District Court via video conference from the hospital. Judge Bryce Ehrman set his bail at $2 million without conditions and $1 million with conditions.
