CHAMBERS COUNTY, Texas – After more than two and a half years in jail, retired military mother Sarah Hartsfield is scheduled to go on trial starting Monday in the sudden death of her new husband in 2023.
Sarah Hartsfield, 50, was indicted for murder after her husband Joseph passed away in a Baytown hospital. His cause of death was due to complications of the toxic effects of insulin, according to medical examiners, but the manner was left undetermined.
Prosecutors allege she ignored an alert about Joseph’s dangerously low blood sugar level and delayed a phone call to 911 after finding him unresponsive. Investigators found up to 10 insulin pens on his side of the bed.
At the hospital, his family members said Sarah Hartsfield tried to keep them away from him. She also posted a video on Facebook of herself hovering and weeping over his hospital bed.
The two had been married for less than a year, and he was planning to leave her in the weeks leading up to his death, expressing concerns to his family members over his own safety, according to search warrants.
Sarah Hartsfield has been married five times, and in messages from jail to KPRC 2 News reporter Bryce Newberry, wrote, “If I’m guilty of anything, it’s picking horrible husbands.”
She entered a not guilty plea in the murder case and has claimed that she was recovering from surgery at the time and on her own pain regimen.
Prosecutors have filed a list of more than 80 witnesses they may call to the stand during the trial, including medical and law enforcement experts, as well as more than 40 people from Sarah Hartsfield’s past. They include all four of her children, neighbors, and exes.
Minnesota investigators may also have to testify about a 2018 shooting in which Sarah Hartsfield fatally shot her fiancé, David Bragg. It was initially ruled self-defense, but after her arrest in Texas, the Douglas County, Minnesota, prosecutor told KPRC 2 News the investigation had been reopened in light of new evidence.
He has declined to provide any updates on the case since.
The state has asked Judge Chap B. Cain, who will preside over the case, to allow them to bring up several extraneous offenses. On the list are the Minnesota shooting and nearly two dozen other events from Sarah Hartsfield’s past, including alleged crimes like child abuse, arson, and attempted capital murder. She has never been convicted of a crime.
Prosecutors also want to bring up allegations of wrongdoing since she has been jailed, including that she lied on the stand about having breast cancer, tampered with her son, who is on the witness list, and assaulted a fellow inmate earlier this year.
Judge Cain is expected to decide on any of those items being brought up early in the trial, possibly after jury selection, but many of the past allegations have already been testified to on the record by Sarah Hartsfield herself during bond hearings.
During pre-trial hearings leading up to Monday, Sarah Hartsfield’s defense attorney, Case Darwin, said a decision hadn’t been made on whether she will take the stand during the trial.
What to expect
Court is expected to begin at 9 a.m. each weekday, and the trial could last up to three weeks.
Judge Cain has agreed to one television camera in the courtroom, after a request from KPRC 2 News and Dateline NBC, but audio recording will only be allowed during closing arguments and the verdict. No livestreaming will be allowed.
If Sarah Hartsfield is found guilty and the trial advances to the punishment phase, Judge Cain indicated he may reconsider the rules on audio recording.
Sarah Hartsfield, who is still in custody, is expected to be brought to the courthouse each morning wearing regular street clothes. She is not expected to be handcuffed while sitting in the courtroom.
Days before the trial, Judge Cain signed an order sealing a supplemental juror questionnaire, which was expected to be sent to the prospective jurors. It’s unclear what questions they are being asked to answer, but the option was offered by the judge during a pre-trial hearing after the defense expressed concern about minimizing any prejudice for Sarah Hartsfield.
After jury selection Monday morning, prosecutors have indicated they hope to begin the hearing on extraneous offenses in the afternoon. Several out-of-state witnesses have received subpoenas to show up and testify on Monday, according to records.
If the extraneous offenses are allowed to be brought up during the murder trial, the witnesses may have to stay longer.
Opening statements are expected to begin on Tuesday, and each side is expected to get up to 30 minutes, Judge Cain said at a pre-trial hearing.
It’s not clear yet if the jury will be sequestered for the duration of the trial. Sarah Hartsfield’s defense attorney has indicated he may want that because of the anticipated media coverage.
“You’re going to have some very unhappy jurors if you do that,” Judge Cain said at a pre-trial hearing, noting that he would likely not allow them to have cell phones or television.
KPRC 2 News will provide daily updates on the case.