Texas woman with history of 5 marriages faces murder trial in husband’s insulin death
Sarah Hartsfield kisses her fifth husband, Joseph Hartsfield, on their wedding day in 2022. Legacy
Jury selection is underway in the high-profile murder trial of Sarah Hartsfield, the Texas woman accused of killing her fifth husband with insulin.
Hartsfield, 50, is charged in the January 2023 death of her husband, Joseph Hartsfield. Prosecutors say she deliberately injected him with dangerous doses of insulin and waited hours before calling 911. He was later hospitalized and died several days afterward. Hartsfield has pleaded not guilty.
A grand jury indictment, filed in February 2023, alleges she “intentionally and knowingly cause[d] the death of an individual, namely Joseph Hartsfield, by a manner and means unknown to the grand jury.” Joseph’s obituary described his passing as complications from a stroke, with Sarah at his side.
Investigators, however, questioned inconsistencies in Sarah’s account and found multiple insulin pens near Joseph’s bed. Sheriff Brian Hawthorne praised deputies for recognizing suspicious circumstances that might otherwise have been dismissed as natural illness.
Defense attorneys argue Joseph’s death could have been the result of his own medical condition rather than a deliberate act.
Sarah Hartsfield’s history of troubled relationships has drawn added attention to the case. She has been married five times, with past accusations of harassment and assault. In 2018, she shot and killed her then-fiancé David Bragg in Minnesota. Prosecutors at the time ruled the incident a justifiable act of self-defense.
She later married Joseph in 2022, but friends say he was unhappy and planning to leave the marriage. On January 7, 2023, Joseph suffered a diabetic emergency and was found unresponsive. The Harris County Medical Examiner ruled his death the result of toxic insulin exposure.
Hartsfield was arrested in February 2023 and remains in custody at the Chambers County Jail on a reduced $2 million bond.
Opening statements in her trial are expected to begin once jury selection concludes.
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