Why was Bethany Ann Israel found dead just hours after she had dinner at her brother’s house?

This article contains graphic descriptions of murder. Please take care while reading.

A 30-year-old Minnesota woman died after having dinner at her brother’s house and her brother is now charged with her murder. Meanwhile, police say her brother, 23-year-old Jack Joseph Ball, revealed in his journal why he did it.

On May 23, 2024, Bethany Ann Israel, who was four months pregnant, went to dinner at her brother’s house in Lakeville, Minnesota. Israel’s mother had not heard from her daughter by around 11 p.m. that night, so she drove to Ball’s home. When she arrived, she saw Ball bolt from the house, and once inside the home, she found large amounts of blood and called 911. She believed her daughter had been murdered, she said.

An ominous 911 call came from the nearby town of Rosemount

At that time, another 911 call came from Rosemount, Minnesota, near Lakeville, according to TwinCities.com. A woman reported seeing a man on her Ring security camera placing what looked like body parts on her front porch. Jack Ball and Bethany Israel’s mother, who called the police to report her daughter may have been killed, told them that Ball may have fled to Rosemount, where relatives were buried at a cemetery.

Police found Ball in the backyard of a nearby Rosemount home, covered in blood, with a knife wound to his neck. Police confirmed several of Bethany Israel’s body parts were found in the area.

Jack Ball’s journal

Back in Lakeville, police searched Jack Ball’s home, and found a saw, a hatchet, and knives, as well as blood on the kitchen counters, in the sink, and on the floors. Some of Israel’s body parts were also discovered, as well as Ball’s journals. In them, Ball wrote he was angry at his sister because she was pregnant and “no longer innocent,” Minnesota news outlet Fox9 reported.

Ball was arrested, charged with second-degree murder and second-degree murder of an unborn child, and held on $2 million bail. Ball had no criminal record, but according to the Independent, local police said they had interacted with Ball in the past related to a mental health incident. Ball was expected to appear in court on June 10.

“The allegations in this case are deeply disturbing and horrific — words can’t describe what our law enforcement partners encountered during the investigation. My office will work hard to ensure the victims receive justice and will provide the necessary support for the victims’ family,” Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena said after Ball’s arrest.