A 23-year-old man used numerous sharp objects to kill and dismember his pregnant sister in his home in Lakeville, according to double-murder charges filed Tuesday.
Jack Joseph Ball of Lakeville was charged in Dakota County District Court with two counts of second-degree murder in connection with his attack on 30-year-old Bethany A. Israel of Bloomington on Thursday at the home in the 17000 block of Encina Path.
A hearing was held Tuesday afternoon for Ball, and the prosecution asked the judge to set his bail at $1 million.
"Journal entries indicate that this may have been premeditated," prosecutor Stacy St. George told the court. "As the complaint describes, the defendant murdered, then dismembered the body and placed various body parts in different locations in Dakota County. High bail is warranted due to the nature of the crime indicating significant public risk."
Israel's pregnancy was 17 to 18 weeks along, the criminal complaint read, citing a determination by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office.
Ball remains hospitalized with suspected self-inflicted injuries ahead of his next hearing, which is scheduled for June 10. Court records do not yet list an attorney for him.
According to the complaint:
Israel's mother called police shortly after 11 p.m. and said she feared her daughter might be dead inside the home. The mother told responding officers that Israel went to the home to have dinner with her brother that evening, but family had not heard from her and were concerned.
The mother added that when she arrived at the home, she saw Ball hurriedly leaving the house. She said she went inside and saw a large amount of blood.
Officers looked inside and saw a substantial amount of blood on the kitchen floor and in and around the sink. They also saw a saw, hatchet and large knives with blood on them. A further search of the home revealed body parts.
Police also found several journals and other writings by Ball in the home. In one, he wrote that he was mad at Israel for being pregnant and "no longer innocent."
The mother disclosed to police that Ball may have gone to a cemetery in Rosemount, where relatives are buried. A 911 call from a Rosemount resident revealed that a man who turned out to be Ball showed up on a doorbell camera. Officers went to that address, where they located a body part from Israel.
Officers saw Ball's car parked in a nearby driveway and found him in that home's backyard. He appeared to have a self-inflicted knife wound across his throat. A search of the immediate area turned up additional body parts.
Israel's family shared with police that she was expecting her first child.
"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."
