Sarah Hartsfield murder trial updates: Day 5
Sarah Hartfield trial Day 5: Loved ones of victims, suspect share other allegations
Hartsfield's brother, her former friend, and the mother of her previous fianc?e - who she allegedly killed out of self defense - took the stand against her for the death of her husband.
ANAHUAC, Texas - Sarah Jean Hartsfield's trial continued on Friday. She is accused of murdering her husband in Chambers County.
On Friday, the jury heard testimony from people about other incidents allegedly involving Sarah in the past. However, Sarah has never been convicted of a crime in any of the incidents.
Click here for a recap of Day 1.
Click here for a recap of Day 2.
Click here for a recap of Day 3.
Click here for a recap of Day 4.
Sarah Hartsfield trial: Medical experts testify on Day 4
Medical experts took the stand for the trial of a woman accused of killing her husband, including the examiner who performed the man's autopsy. FOX 26's Leslie DelasBour gives a recap.
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.
Hannah Williamson, Sarah's friend
Hannah Williamson, Sarah's friend and coworker, testified on Friday. According to her testimony:
- Hannah testified that Sarah's mentality changed over their 20-year friendship.
- Hannah was concerned about Sarah's wellbeing because Sarah was battling breast cancer and dealing with having her children taken away from her.
- She tried to warn Joseph about who Sarah really was.
Doris Swart, David Bragg's mother
Doris Swart is the mother of David Bragg, Sarah's former fiancé. Authorities say Sarah shot and killed Bragg, but it was ruled self-defense. She was not charged.
Swart testified that:
- David was trying to end the relationship before he was shot by Sarah in self-defense.
- She and Sarah went to the funeral together.
- Sarah put her hand on David's body and asked why did he make her do that to him.
- Sarah told Swart that she burnt her grandmother's house down so that her brother wouldn't get it.
Cody Smith, Sarah's brother
Cody Smith, Sarah's brother, testified that their grandmother's house was left to him in the will, so he let her have anything she wanted out of the house just to get along.
He testified that:
- He recalled the night their grandmother's house was on fire.
- He told her that he was still alive and that her plan didn't work.
- Sarah told him that she didn't know what he was talking about.
- Investigators couldn't determine the cause of the fire.
FBI Agent John Anderson
FBI Agent John Anderson investigated an alleged murder plot involving one of Sarah's ex-husbands.
The agent testified that:
- Sarah's current boyfriend (at the time) traveled to Arizona to kill Heather Donahue – Sarah's ex-husband's new wife – at Sarah's request.
- There's video of David George at Chris Donahue's home in Arizona to deliver flowers.
- Heather was supposed to answer the door, and then David George was to kill Heather.
Heather was not killed in the incident.
Titus Knoernschild
Titus Knoernschild, another one of Sarah's ex-husbands, testified that:
- Sarah became very angry when he tried to break up with her.
- His new girlfriend smelled smoke in their trailer; there was gasoline on the trailer.
- She went outside and saw Sarah running away.
- He was afraid of Sarah.
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."
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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."
The Source: The information in this article comes from the Chambers County Sheriff's Office and court records. Information about David Bragg's death comes from previous reporting by FOX 9 in Minneapolis and the Douglas County Attorney's Office.