Family, medical experts and past shooting: First week of testimony in Sarah Hartsfield’s murder trial continues
The first week of Sarah Hartsfield’s murder trial has been nothing short of dramatic, with testimonies painting a picture of family tensions, medical mysteries, and a past steeped in controversy.
The first week of testimony in Sarah Hartsfield’s murder trial has been filled with testimony from family, heated exchanges, and detailed medical records as jurors heard competing stories of how Joseph Hartsfield died.
The state opened its case by calling Joseph’s mother and sister, who described their family dynamics, emotional text messages from Sarah, and their belief that Sarah blocked them from being at Joseph’s side in his final moments. Prosecutors also brought up Sarah’s past, including a previous deadly shooting, painting her as manipulative and dangerous.
By mid-week, testimony turned heavily to Joseph’s medical history. Jurors saw years of hospital records documenting his struggles with type 1 diabetes, uncontrolled blood sugars, and repeated admissions for diabetic ketoacidosis. Medical doctors and nurses both testified about his insulin pump, glucose monitor, and the dangerous levels of insulin discovered in his system at the time of his death. Doctors and nurses who treated Joseph in his final hours said he was critically ill and unresponsive when he arrived at the ER, and despite efforts to stabilize him with glucose, nothing seemed to work.
For the first time, jurors also saw Sarah Hartsfield’s initial interview with Chambers County deputies, a 17-minute body camera clip recorded as her husband was unresponsive in the hospital. At times, the video showed Sarah getting emotional, telling deputies she gave Joseph two insulin pens at his request the night before, and that she had been in and out of sleep but heard his glucose monitor sounding alerts for low blood sugar. She admitted feeling guilty that she didn’t do more to help him.
Thursday testimony closed with a Minnesota investigator recounting the 2018 shooting death of one of Hartsfield’s former partners.
At least 10 witnesses have taken the stand so far, though the state’s list includes more than 80.
As the trial continues, jurors are expected to hear even more from medical experts, law enforcement, and possibly Sarah Hartsfield herself, as both sides fight to convince them of what happened inside the couple’s Chambers County home.
9:28 a.m. - cross-examination of Williamson begins
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9:07 a.m. - Hannah Williamson, Sarah Hartsfield, a former friend who was stationed with her at Fort Hood. Williamson is the 13th witness to take the stand
Hannah called her decades-long friendship with Sarah Hartsfield “very, very close.” She said Sarah even named a child after her and trusted her with her children.
Hannah testified that she met Joseph Hartsfield before he married Sarah. She said the relationship seemed surprising, a “rush to get married,” saying that she expected to see them “closer/canoodling/affectionate” but instead they “sat apart, across the room” and she “didn’t hear any terms of affection.”
Hannah told jurors that Sarah expressed concern for Joseph. At the beach house, she said, an argument over “something embarrassingly trivial” led to Sarah becoming angry and leaving. Hannah said she worried for Joseph’s safety after seeing a “lightning-fast change” in her friend.
Jurors also heard about Sarah’s account of the 2018 shooting of David Bragg. Hannah testified that Sarah told her she acted in self-defense, firing “until the gun emptied.” She said she was shocked that Sarah had never mentioned it before and felt that Sarah was treating her like she was “dumb,” while telling her such a bizarre story of how the shooting happened. Hannah said Sarah even bragged that police “barely questioned her” and let her ride in the front seat of the patrol car after the shooting.
Hannah also recalled Sarah describing George as the “love of her life.” She said Sarah told her about a plot involving George, her ex-husband Chris, and her daughter Hannah - a plot to kill someone. She called it “ludicrous” and a “far-fetched theory.”
Hannah testified her biggest concern was Sarah harming herself at that time: “I’m always thinking, this is a friend of 20 years that I love. What if this is a 1% chance that this is true? Her committing suicide was my number one concern.”
Hannah said she later tried to warn Joseph Hartsfield, spending an hour searching for his phone number and only finding his parents’. She testified she was “frightened Sarah would know” she was reaching out, and told jurors she is still “frightened to be here now.”
9 a.m. - Court in session
