A 23-year-old Lakeville, Minnesota, man has been charged with killing his pregnant sister and dismembering her body at his home.
As reported by the Pioneer Press, Jack Joseph Ball faces two counts of second-degree murder for Thursday's killings of 30-year-old Bethany Ann Israel of Bloomington and her unborn child, who was four months along, the charges say.
Victim's Mother Called 911 After She Saw Ball Fleeing Israel's Home, Found a Pool of Blood inside
According to the criminal complaint, Israel's mother called 911 just after 11 p.m. on Thursday, May 23, and reported that Israel had gone Ball's home for dinner around 6 p.m. that evening.
She said family had not heard from Israel and were concerned and so she drove to the home to check on her. She said when she arrived, Ball "tore out of the house." She went inside, saw a large amount of blood and dialed 911.
Officers saw a pool of blood on the kitchen floor and blood under the sink and on cabinets. They found a saw, hatchet and large knives, all of which were covered in blood. A knife was on the living room floor near a staircase to the second level. "In continuing their search, they located several dismembered body parts believed to be those of (Israel)," the complaint says.
Ball Found with Self-Inflicted Knife Wound Across His Throat
Israel's mother told police that she believed Ball may have gone to a cemetery in Rosemount because some of his relatives were buried there.
Police then received a 911 call from a Rosemount homeowner who reported that a male was seen on their front door Ring camera placing what appeared to be a body part on the front step. Officers arrived and confirmed it was a body part, believed to be that of Israel.
Ball was arrested by a shed in the backyard of a Rosemount home, about five miles northeast of the homicide scene, and had a self-inflicted knife wound across his throat. Police searched the area and found several dismembered body parts believed to be those of Israel.
Ball was Angry Over Sister's Pregnancy Because She was 'No Longer Innocent'
At Ball'sLakeville home, investigators found journals and other writings by Ball. He wrote that he was angry his sister was pregnant and "no longer innocent." An autopsy by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office showed Israel died from complex homicidal violence, and that she was between 17 and 18 weeks pregnant.
Ball does not have a criminal history, court records show, and neither the complaint nor officials noted any mental illness issues in his past.
Ball has been at Regions Hospital in St. Paul since. Ball is still hospitalized, but once he is medically cleared, he will be booked into the Dakota County Jail. Ball appeared in court Tuesday, May 28, and was given a $2 million bail, or $1 million with conditions, He is scheduled to return to court on June 10.
