A shocking case is unfolding in Chambers County, Texas as the murder trial of Sarah Hartsfield begins, with prosecutors alleging she killed her fifth husband by injecting him with insulin.
The 50-year-old Army veteran’s wife is accused of exploiting her husband Joseph Hartsfield’s diabetes to stage a medical emergency, delaying a 911 call for hours before he was rushed to the hospital. Investigators uncovered insulin pens near his bedside and questioned her shifting statements. Joseph later died from what the medical examiner ruled “complications from toxic insulin exposure.”
Sarah, now on trial, has pleaded not guilty. Her defense insists Joseph’s death could have been the tragic result of his own illness. But prosecutors argue she “intentionally and knowingly cause[d] the death” of her husband.
What makes the case even more chilling is Hartsfield’s past. She has been married five times, with her history marked by threats, violence, and even another fatal shooting. In 2018, she shot fiancé David Bragg, claiming self-defense. Prosecutors at the time accepted her account, though questions linger. An earlier husband alleged she once threatened him during divorce, telling him not to be surprised if he didn’t survive. Another reported she assaulted him before charges were dropped.
Chambers County Sheriff Brian Hawthorne praised investigators for refusing to dismiss the suspicious circumstances: “I appreciate the hard work of the deputies and detectives who followed their instincts.”
As jury selection wraps up, Texas is bracing for opening statements in a trial that could finally bring justice to a man whose marriage ended in tragedy.
