Five-times-married Texas woman is murdering latest husband by poisoning him with INSULIN
A Texas woman with an extensive marriage record was charged with murdering her fifth husband by poisoning him with insulin - four years after she shot her ex-fiancé dead.
Sarah Hartsfield, 48, is accused of killing her diabetic husband Joseph Hartsfield in January by poisoning him with high levels of insulin and failing to call 911 until about six hours later.
Investigators ruled the 46-year-old's death was a result of foul play and uncovered Hartsfield's sweeping dating history that was supposedly filled with abuse, threats and arrests on charges of assault.
As Hartsfield sits behind bars at the Chambers County Jail, ABC Houston reported that Minnesota investigators have re-opened the case of her dead fiancé David Bragg, who she shot dead in 'self-defense' back in 2018.
The accused woman's children and living ex-husbands have since come forward - claiming they knew 'she'd end up in jail someday.'
Sarah Hartsfield, 48, allegedly killed her diabetic fifth husband with insulin in January. Pictured: Hartsfield at the time of her February arrest
Hartsfield is accused of killing Joseph Hartsfield by poisoning him with high levels of insulin and failing to call 911 until about six hours later. Pictured: Joseph Hartsfield
While Hartsfield was arrested in February, it wasn't her first time behind bars.
She was arrested on March 11, 1996, for assaulting her second husband, Michael Traxler, at their home located on Rio Bonito, according to the news outlet.
At the time, Hartsfield was going by a different last name. She remained in jail for about a week until the charges were dropped for an undisclosed reason. Meanwhile, her then-husband was given a citation.
It appeared Hartsfield had only been with her second husband for only a few months before her arrest.
Prosecutors have explained her relationships as being 'short-lived.'
Hartsfield's first husband, who she divorced in January 1996, has since come forward in relief his ex-wife could no longer hurt anyone else.
Titus Knoernschild and Hartsfield were high school sweethearts. He recalled falling in love with his estranged wife in his junior year. The two tied the knot two years later.
Their short-lived marriage ended with a messy divorce as Knoernschild claimed he received threats from Hartsfield and feared for his life.
'I'm glad she has finally been caught for who she is. I'm just sorry another person had to die to get her caught,' he told the news outlet.
He added that Hartsfield allegedly told him to 'not be surprised if he didn't make it through' the divorce,
'I was honestly surprised to get out of my marriage alive cause I was in the army, I had a $200,000 life insurance on myself,' he said.
Knoernschild confirmed his ex-spouse's second husband was his former best friend. She then went on to her third marriage in 1999 with military man Christopher Donohue.
The relationship was Hartsfield's longest and she had four kids.
She fatally shot her ex-fiancé in 2018 in 'self-defense,' but police have since reopened the case after receiving new information
Titus Knoernschild, Hartsfield's first husband, has since come forward in relief his ex-wife was behind bars and could no longer hurt anyone else. The two were high school sweethearts and married straight after high school before divorcing two years later in January 1996. Pictured: Titus Knoernschild
Hartsfield's son, Ryan Donohue from her third marriage, has been vocal about his mother's arrest.
The 22-year-old told NBC that he knew his mother's poor decisions would lead to her behind bars someday.
'It’s unreal seeing my mom in that jumpsuit now,' Donohue told the news outlet. 'I’ve waited for it my whole life.'
Donohue recalled his mother being abusive toward him and his siblings when they were younger. He said his father had to jump in to protect them.
'My mom made his life a lot harder,' Donohue said while referring to his father.
At times, Donohue missed school for extended periods after suffering severe bruising.
Hartsfield would later apologize to her children and point the blame at their father for making her unhappy.
Hartsfield's marriage to Ryan Donohue's father, Christopher, lasted a whopping 19 years until he filed for divorce in 2018 - two years after he moved to South Korea without her.
Meanwhile, Hartsfield had already moved on with another military man, David Bragg, by 2017.
Sarah's son, Ryan Donohue from her third marriage with Christopher Donohue, has been vocal about his mother's arrest. He recalled being abused by her as a child and skipping school due to extreme bruises
Hartsfield and Bragg moved to Minnesota where Bragg had a solar contract job lined up, according to Donohue.
Donohue told the news outlet that Bragg was abusive toward him when he would visit his mother.
He recalled being pushed into a wall over simple issues, such as whose turn it was to use the restroom. His mother brushed off the abuse claiming he 'deserved it.'
On one occasion, Bragg held a rifle to Donohue.
Bragg's relationship with Hartsfield ended on May 9, 2018 when he was shot by her in their home.
At a hearing in February, Hartsfield explained how Bragg believed she was leaving him for her ex-husband, who had just arrived to Minnesota from South Korea.
She claimed that Bragg shot at her and nearly missed her head. That is when she allegedly shot back at him and struck him 'without aiming,' the news outlet reported.
It's unclear what new evidence Minnesota investigators have received to reopen the case of Bragg's death.
Joseph Hartsfield was Sarah's fifth husband. The two married in February 2022 - a year after her fourth divorce
Their honeymoon phase was brief as NBC recovered Sarah's Facebook messages where she referred to her late husband as a 'nightmare.' Pictured: where Hartsfield and Joseph lived in Texas
It didn't take long for Hartsfield to grieve the death of Bragg. Within a year, she found her arms wrapped around new beau David George in 2019.
George worked for a gas company in Minnesota and the two lived together in the home where Hartsfield shot Bragg, according to her son.
The two year marriage ended in 2021 amid allegations Hartsfield told George to kill her ex-husband, Christopher Donohue's, new wife.
Shortly after, Hartsfield found herself on dating apps and in Joseph Hartsfield's bed. The two married in February 2022.
Their honeymoon phase was brief as NBC recovered Sarah's Facebook messages where she referred to her late husband as a 'nightmare.'
Just a month shy of their first year anniversary, Hartsfield allegedly poisoned Joseph on January 7. He died in the hospital a week later.
Source: Daily Mail
