County officials in Dakota County say a 23-year-old man killed and dismembered his pregnant sister in Lakeville last week.
Jack Joseph Ball, of Lakeville, is being charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the death of his sister, Bethany Israel, 30, of Bloomington, and her unborn child last Thursday evening.
Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena said, “The allegations in this case are deeply disturbing and horrific. Words can’t describe what our law enforcement partners saw during the investigation.” “My office will work hard to ensure the victims receive justice and will provide the necessary support for the victims’ family.”
Ball’s bail was set at $2 million with conditions and $1 million with conditions. Officials say Ball will be sent to the Dakota County Jail as soon as he is physically cleared. On June 10, he will be back in court in Hastings.
For second-degree murder, the highest prison sentence is 40 years.
Israel’s family was worried that she hadn’t come home after having dinner with her brother at a house in Lakeville, according to the criminal charge. That’s why one of them drove to the house and saw Ball quickly leaving the scene.
They saw a “significant amount of blood” when they went into the house and called the cops. The report said that when police arrived, they found “bloody knives and several dismembered body parts” that they thought came from Israel.
Police say that a search was launched for Ball’s car, and it was soon found in Rosemount.
According to the complaint, a Rosemount resident watched on their home security camera as police searched for Ball and saw a man put “what appeared to be a body part” on their front step. Ball was found in the backyard of a nearby house after a short search.
The report said that Ball had a wound on his neck that looked like he had done it to himself. He was taken to a nearby hospital to get help.
Since then, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner has said that Israel’s death was due to “complex homicidal violence.” It was proven that Israel was 17 to 18 weeks pregnant.