Lakeville man sentenced to life in prison for murdering sister, her unborn child

A Lakeville, Minnesota, man was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without parole for killing his sister and her unborn child in 2024, according to the Dakota County Attorney's Office.Jack Joseph Ball, 25, was sentenced on two counts of first-degree murder in the May 23, 2024, death of Bethany Ann Israel, 30, of Bloomington. The criminal complaint states Israel was between 17 and 18 weeks pregnant.Ball pleaded guilty Jan. 21 to premeditated first-degree murder and premeditated first-degree murder of an unborn child, but asserted a defense of mental illness. A judge rejected that defense and issued the guilty verdict Tuesday, finding Ball did not meet his burden of proving it, the county attorney's office said. GoFundMe Ball was initially charged with two counts of second-degree murder. A Dakota County grand jury later indicted him on two counts of premeditated first-degree murder and two counts of intentional second-degree murde