Virginity and purity are nothing more than patriarchal social concepts. I mean that quite literally; there is no legal or medical definition of either word when it comes to having intercourse. It’s a label that carries a stigma for all involved, particularly women. Men are criticized if they hang on to it for too long, but women are thought of as “less valuable” if they lose it too early. If they lose it too late, they are far too prudish. And if they lose their virginity before they are married, they are considered “used goods.”
Although not every man views women like this, there are plenty who still do. Sometimes that thought process can lead to a tragic ending, like it did for Bethany Israel. In 2024, the young pregnant woman, who was married, was brutally murdered and dismembered by her own brother, reportedly because she was “no longer innocent.”
Law & Crime reported Israel’s brother Jack Joseph Ball of Lakeville, Minnesota, pleaded guilty to premeditated first-degree murder and premeditated first-degree murder of an unborn child in the death of his 30-year-old sister and her fetus.
The Dakota County Attorney’s Office revealed in a news release that when Ball was indicted on January 5, 2025, he “asserted” a mental illness defense, which under Minnesota law means, “a person is not criminally responsible if a mental illness made the person unable to understand what they were doing or know that it was wrong at the time the offense was committed.”
The charges of second-degree murder were dropped, and now Ball awaits his court date, set for May 21, 2026, when the state will litigate his mental health defense.
According to a press release issued at the time of his indictment, it stated that Israel had gone to Ball’s home for dinner about 6 p.m. May 23, 2024. Around 11 p.m., their mother drove to Ball’s home after Israel could not be reached for several hours and the family grew concerned. Authorities state the mom said she witnessed her son “tear” out of the house. When she went inside she saw a “large amount of blood.”
When police officers entered the home, they made some truly gruesome discoveries, beginning with a pool of blood on the kitchen floor and all over the cabinets, Law & Crime reported. As authorities walked through the home, it quickly became a house of horrors. They saw a “bloody saw, hatchet, and large, bloody, knives,” as well as a blood-covered knife by the stairs and several dismembered body parts of Israel.
“Shortly thereafter, police received a 911 call from a Rosemount resident reporting they observed a man on a home security camera place what appeared to be a body part on their front step,” the DA’s office noted in the news release. He was found in a neighbor’s back yard after a brief search. He had a “self-inflicted injury to his neck” and was taken to a hospital for treatment.
Investigators uncovered Ball’s journals, in which he reportedly expressed that he was furious over Israel’s pregnancy because it meant she was “no longer innocent,” Law & Crime reported.
A GoFundMe account was launched at the time of Israel’s death and is still open for donations, which originally were to help the family grieve without financial burden, including her husband, Josh Israel. It raised more than $47,000, far surpassing its $5,000 goal.
“Bethany’s radiant spirit and unwavering kindness touched the lives of all who had the privilege of knowing her,” the fundraiser’s description read. “Her love for life, her family, and the friendships she nurtured are the legacies she leaves behind. As a beacon of warmth and generosity, Bethany’s absence leaves a void that cannot be filled.”
Ball will remain in custody until his hearing, where prosecutors plan to seek a life sentence.
