Man who allegedly dismembered his sister and killed unborn child has been found responsible in court

The man accused of dismembering his sister in a Lakeville home was found competent to stand trial Tuesday in a Dakota County court.

Jack Ball, 23, is charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of his sister and her unborn child.

Ball’s lawyers say they still plan to argue about mental illness or cognitive impairment in addition to defending the innocent.

As previously reported, charging documents state that a woman called police around 11 p.m. Thursday and said she believed her daughter had been killed. When police went to the home on Encina Path in the area of ​​Pilot Knob Road and 170th Street West on the Lakeville-Farmington border, they went inside and found a large pool of blood in the kitchen, as well as bloody knives and tools.

The 911 caller said her daughter, 30-year-old Bethany Ann Israel, had gone to dinner with her brother Ball earlier in the evening but became worried after not hearing from Israel. The woman said she drove to the house, saw Ball quickly walking away and then saw blood as she entered the house.

During the search, officers found body parts. More were found when another person called 911 and said a man had placed what appeared to be a body part on their front steps in Rosemount. Ball was found near a nearby shed, covered in blood and near several other body parts, court documents said.

Police later learned that Israel was between 17 and 18 weeks pregnant with her first child.

Ball’s diaries and handwritten papers revealed that he was angry that his sister was pregnant because she was “no longer innocent,” a criminal complaint said.

RELATED: Friends of Lakeville murder victim Bethany Israel say she is ‘a precious soul’

Ball made his first court appearance Tuesday afternoon and his bail was set at $2 million or $1 million with conditions. Another hearing is scheduled for June 10. He has not yet been given medical clearance for prison time due to an apparent self-inflicted cut, officials say.

Ball is due back in court on December 12th for a summary hearing.