Sarah Hartsfield murder trial updates: Day 3

HOUSTON - The trial continues Wednesday for Sarah Jean Hartsfield, who is charged with the murder of her husband in Chambers County.

The jury was selected Monday, and the jury heard opening statements and testimony on Tuesday.

Click here for a recap of Day 2.

How to get updates:

The court is not allowing the trial to be livestreamed. However, FOX 26 is at the trial and will bring you updates throughout the day in this story and on the free FOX LOCAL app.

Witness testimony: Jean Hartsfield, Joseph's Sister

Jean is cross-examined by the defense.

The alleged murder:

Jean was questioned about the alleged murder and said:

• She doesn't know anything for sure, but it's her belief Sarah Hartsfield is 100% behind her brother's murder.

Joseph's medical condition:

Jean testified that:

• Joseph told her he had juvenile diabetes. Earlier testimony from Joseph's mother indicated he had Type 2 diabetes.
• Joseph normally had high blood sugar.
• He has had episodes of low blood sugar at night and would need to eat something.
• He has been hospitalized at least for diabetes.
• Jean testified that Joseph also suffered from sleep apnea.
• When asked by the defense about their father's diabetes. Jean said their father also had juvenile diabetes and experienced frequent highs and lows.

Foul play concerns:

According to the defense, Jean accused Sarah of murder after Joseph's death on Jan. 7, 2023.

Jean testified:

• She did not directly accuse Sarah.
• Jean told law enforcement it was her belief that Sarah was responsible.
• She was concerned there was foul play in Joseph’s death.

Family after Joseph's death:

Jean testified:

• The family held a memorial service for Joseph.
• Sarah was not invited to the memorial because she did not allow Joseph’s family to attend his funeral.

Prosecution Further Questioning

Joseph's concerns:

Jean testified: 

• In late December, Joseph expressed concerns about his relationship with Sarah to his family.
• Jean recalled that on Dec. 28, they stayed up for hours talking at their mother's home.
• Joseph told Jean he was very frustrated and upset.
• Jean said, "He was worried she would kill him in his sleep."
• Jean told Joseph to get his affairs in order.
• She urged him not to go back to the house, but he had to return for work.
• Jean claimed her brother was scared Sarah was going to murder him.
• She was terrified for Jospeh, and her worst fears came true on January 7.

After Joseph's death:

Jean became emotional as she spoke about the events after Joseph's death. She testified:

• The family had no access to Joseph’s body after he died.
• Sarah prevented them from seeing his medical records related to his death.
• Sarah also kept them from attending his funeral.

Speaking to law enforcement:

The prosecution asked Jean why it was important for her to speak to law enforcement. She testified:

• She felt it was important to share her beliefs with law enforcement after knowing Sarah’s history with the family and her brother’s fears and health.
• Jean wants the person responsible to be held accountable.

New evidence in separate case:

Jean was asked if there was new evidence presented in Sarah's self-defense case in Minnesota. Jean testified she would not be surprised.

Witness testimony: Olivia Hardy, Dispatch Supervisor, Chambers County Sheriff’s Office

The prosecution presented and played the recording 911 call from Jan. 7, 2023 made by Sarah Hartsfield in court.

Details from the call:

In the call, Sarah asked for help, sounding fairly calm.

Dispatch asked for their address, names, and whether Joseph was breathing.

Sarah responded saying Joseph was "breathing heavily" and she was trying to wake him up.

Toward the end of the call, Sarah sounded like she was about to cry.

Professional perspective:

Hardy testified:

• They receive frequent calls involving diabetics, but it is not normal for those individuals to die.
• At times, paramedics are able to treat the diabetic before arriving at the hospital.
• Hardy said it’s also not normal for someone to wait to call 911 when a diabetic is unresponsive.

Witness testimony: Dr. John Knight, Internist, Joseph’s Doctor

Joseph's medical history:

Dr. Knight testified:

• He treated Joseph for Type 1 diabetes and Joseph was diagnosed around age 20.
• Dr. Knight confirmed Joseph had "severely" high blood sugar.
• He stated Jospeh was hospitalized multiple times for high blood sugar episodes.
• To Dr. Knight’s knowledge, Joseph was never hospitalized for low blood sugar.
• Dr. Knight explained too much insulin can cause dangerously low blood sugar, leading to confusion, loss of consciousness, and other serious symptoms.

Diabetes management:

Dr. Knight testified:

• Joseph was aware how to manage and treat his condition.
• Joseph used a glucose monitoring device that tracks blood sugar levels and alerts the user when levels are abnormal (like a phone alarm).
• Dr. Knight suggested it would be hard not to hear the alerts.

Expert perspective:

Dr. Knight testified:

• In his professional experience, he has never had a patient die from low blood sugar.
• Dr. Knight was surprised Joseph died of low blood sugar, given his history of high blood sugar.

Cross-Examination

Dr. Knight was cross-examined and stated Type 1 diabetes can be diagnosed at any age. He testified Joseph had been treated for very high blood sugar.

Witness testimony: Dr. Souad Enakuaa, Endocrinologist, Treated Joseph

Joseph’s Diabetes Management:

• Joseph had a continuous glucose monitor (Dexcom) to track his blood sugar.
• He was extremely cautious about low blood sugar:Set his low alert threshold at 100, which is higher than typical.He told Dr. Souad he didn’t want his blood sugar to drop below 100.
• Set his low alert threshold at 100, which is higher than typical.
• He told Dr. Souad he didn’t want his blood sugar to drop below 100.
• Dr. Souad said:Dexcom and alert technology save lives, constantly monitoring levels.It’s unusual for someone to die from low blood sugar, especially while using this technology.
• Dexcom and alert technology save lives, constantly monitoring levels.
• It’s unusual for someone to die from low blood sugar, especially while using this technology.
• Dr. Souad revealed:Joseph was not following her medical instructions.He wasn’t taking insulin as consistently as he should have been.
• Joseph was not following her medical instructions.
• He wasn’t taking insulin as consistently as he should have been.

Reaction to Hospitalization:

• Dr. Souad learned Joseph had been hospitalized.
• She checked his Dexcom data and was shocked:His blood sugar was low for hours.The system would have been sending constant alerts.She was surprised Joseph did not respond to the alarms.
• His blood sugar was low for hours.
• The system would have been sending constant alerts.
• She was surprised Joseph did not respond to the alarms.

Expert reaction:

• Dr. Souad called it a tragic way to die.
• Joseph was her first patient to die of low blood sugar.

Sarah Hartsfield charged with murder

The backstory:

Joseph Hartsfield died in January 2023. He was Sarah Jean Hartsfield’s fifth husband.

The Chambers County Sheriff’s Office says they were called to a Baytown hospital on the evening of Jan. 7, 2023, about the suspicious illness of an emergency room patient – Joseph. He had been brought in by ambulance from Beach City, where he lived.

According to the sheriff’s office, inconsistencies and other factors discovered during the investigation "made the illness appear more suspicious in nature."

Joseph later died. The sheriff’s office said they believed his death was the result of "foul play."

The district attorney was contacted, and the case was later presented to a grand jury. On Feb. 3, 2023, the grand jury indicted Sarah on a felony murder charge.

According to the sheriff’s office, Joseph was diabetic, and they believe his insulin level was suspiciously high hours before his death and before Sarah called 911.

Sarah pleaded not guilty to the murder charge. She has remained in jail for the two-and-a-half years since she was charged.

What they're saying:

"This is one of the more interesting cases in particular because it has a lot of medical aspects to it. It’s a very technical case, has taken creativity and ingenuity on the detectives and deputies to put this murder together," Chambers County Sheriff Brian Hawthorne said.

Local perspective:

Beach City, Texas, is located to the east of Houston, near the Trinity Bay.

Sarah Hartsfield's former partner's death

Dig deeper:

Following Sarah’s indictment in 2023, the Douglas County Attorney in Minnesota confirmed that the investigation into a previous death involving Sarah was active again as they followed up on new information the sheriff’s office had received. However, no charges have come from that investigation.

FOX 9 reported that in 2019 the Douglas County Attorney's Office decided not to move forward with charges against Sarah Donohue – now Sarah Hartsfield – after she shot and killed her then-fiancé David Bragg inside a home in Garfield, Minn., in 2018.

According to FOX 9, deputies responded to a home in Garfield on May 9, 2018, for a report of a domestic disturbance during which shots were fired.

At the scene, they found Bragg dead inside the home. According to a letter from the Douglas County Attorney in 2019, Sarah had claimed that Bragg had assaulted her and fired shots at her on a staircase, and she responded by shooting at him, killing him.

At the time, prosecutors said that evidence at the home seemed to support Sarah's version of events.

"The facts reveal that Mr. Bragg discharged his firearm at Ms. Donohue from a close proximity while the two were engaged in an altercation that had become physical," wrote Douglas County Attorney Chad Larson in 2019. "Under the circumstances, Ms. Donohue was justified in shooting Mr. Bragg as a matter of self-defense as she was facing lethal force and had no reasonable possibility of retreating from the threat. Therefore, I am declining to file criminal charges against Ms. Donohue in relation to Mr. Bragg's death."

Sarah Hartsfield trialChambers CountyCrime and Public Safety