Sarah Hartsfield trial Day 6: Chambers County woman charged with husband's murder
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.
HOUSTON - The trial of Sarah Jean Hartsfield continued into a second week on Monday. She is charged with the murder of 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.
Testimony continued Monday from Joseph's family, a friend and the current wife of another of Sarah's ex-husbands.
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.
Click here for a recap of Day 5.
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.
Angela Knoernschild's testimony
Angela Knoernschild is the current wife of Sarah's ex-husband Titus. Titus testified on Friday that Sarah became very angry when he tried to break up with her. He also claimed that his new girlfriend had smelled smoke in their trailer, and there was gasoline on the trailer. On Friday, Titus testified that the girlfriend went outside and saw Sarah running away.
On Monday, Sarah testified about the incident. She testified that she smelled gasoline outside of their trailer and saw Sarah running away.
Sandra Short, Joseph's cousin
Joseph's cousin Sandra Short testified on Monday. She read Facebook messages between Sarah and herself in which Sarah explained to Sandra that Joseph did not take care of his diabetes like he should have.
Ivan Boots, Joseph's friend
Joseph's friend Ivan Boots testified that:
- Joseph's blood sugar was always high, so he was surprised when Sarah told him that he was in the hospital because of low blood sugar.
- Sarah was concerned if anyone could find the level of insulin Joseph had in him.
Ashley Donohue, Sarah's daughter
Sarah's daughter Ashley Donohue testified that:
- She currently does not have a relationship with her mother.
- She had to communicate with her sister on Google Hangouts because she wasn't allowed to have a relationship with her other sister.
- Sarah told her that if she had to defend herself while in Minnesota, then to come and get her belongings.
Text messages
In court, Texas messages were shared from Sarah on January 7 in which:
- She's complaining to her daughter about his snoring.
- She's explaining to her daughter that Joseph is in the ER and his situation is not favorable.
- She also texted her daughter, "those people called the police on me."
- Sarah asks her daughter to decline to make a statement to police.
Hannah Donohue, Sarah's daughter
Sarah's daughter, Hannah Donohue testified that:
- David George told her that Sarah told him that he couldn't come back home until he "take care of what needed to be done," which was to kill Heather.
- Hannah said that they were not allowed to talk to their father because Sarah said that he is a bad person.
She testified about the day that David Bragg was shot, saying:
- Hannah was with Sarah the day Sarah killed David Bragg in self-defense.
- Sarah asked her to hide one of the two guns that she had in the car, in the small of her back.
- Sarah went in the house and some time later, she heard about six gunshots.
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."
Sarah Hartsfield murder trial: Day 3 for woman accused in husband's death
The trial continues for a Liberty County woman accused of playing a role in her husband's insulin-related death. FOX 26's Jillian Hartmann gives a recap of Day 3.
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, court records and court proceedings. Information about David Bragg's death comes from previous reporting by FOX 9 in Minneapolis and the Douglas County Attorney's Office.