Sarah Hartsfield’s children testify as thousands of jail calls, texts to media introduced in insulin murder trial
The second week of testimony in Sarah Hartsfield’s insulin murder trial begans today.
The second week of testimony in Sarah Hartsfield’s insulin murder trial began Monday.
Last week, the jury got a rare look inside Sarah’s Beach City home, which was captured on body camera footage and taken the night investigators say her husband, Joseph Hartsfield, was dying from a fatal insulin overdose.
Nearly two dozen witnesses have taken the stand so far, but prosecutors say they’re not done yet. The state may not rest until mid-week, as jurors continue hearing new evidence and emotional testimony about what investigators call a “pattern” of suspicious behavior dating back decades.
For the first time, jurors watched body camera video from inside the couple’s home, showing Sarah Hartsfield speaking with deputies as they began investigating her husband’s medical emergency in January 2023.
A sergeant testified that her demeanor “seemed odd,” describing her as quiet and calm, even laughing at one point. Hartsfield told investigators she had recently taken down her interior cameras to install a new one.
Inside the bedroom, investigators found prescription pill bottles and insulin pens scattered around, but the sergeant admitted to jurors that they made a critical mistake: those insulin pens and a glass of juice Hartsfield claimed she kept filling for her husband were never collected as evidence.
Prosecutors say Joseph Hartsfield’s blood sugar was dangerously low for hours before Sarah finally called 911.
Jurors also heard from a realtor who shared text messages from Sarah Hartsfield sent just days before her husband’s death. In those messages, she allegedly discussed selling their home and planning her “exit strategy,” complaining that her husband had “buried her in debt.”
Hartsfield’s defense team has repeatedly fought to keep her past out of this trial, but last week, the judge began allowing the jury to hear about some of her so-called “extraneous offenses.”
Those allegations included testimony from an FBI agent who said Hartsfield once tried to orchestrate a murder-for-hire plot against an ex’s new wife, as well as accounts of three separate house fires connected to former partners and even her brother.
One of the most emotional moments came when Doris Swart, the mother of Hartsfield’s ex-boyfriend, David Bragg, took the stand. Swart’s son was shot and killed by Hartsfield in Minnesota in 2018, a case initially ruled self-defense. Swart told jurors that at the funeral home, Sarah put her hand on Bragg’s body and asked, “Why did you make me do that?” before quickly moving on with a new man.
That Minnesota shooting case has now been reopened, according to testimony from the lead investigator. A charging decision is pending the outcome of this Texas murder trial.
Sarah Hartsfield’s defense reminded jurors that she has never been arrested or charged in connection with any of those past allegations.
Still expected to testify this week are Hartsfield’s children and the lead detective on the Chambers County insulin case that led to her arrest.
4:00 p.m. - Court dismissed for the day
3:44 p.m. - Cain dismissed from the stand. The state’s 33rd witness, called to the stand, Todd Harris, Captain of the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office Jail Division
Capt. Todd Harris, who has led the Chambers County Jail Division since 2019 and previously served as a TDCJ warden, testified that Sarah and other inmates in the Chambers County Jail can communicate through monitored phone calls and text kiosks.
He confirmed thousands of jail calls made by Sarah Hartsfield and authenticated discs containing those recordings. Prosecutors also presented dozens of Hartsfield’s text messages with media outlets, including KPRC 2.
The defense objected to admitting the messages, and the judge dismissed the jury early so attorneys could determine which evidence would be allowed.
3:34 p.m. Ryan dismissed from the stand. The state calls its 32nd witness to the stand, Kaycie Cain, a former sergeant at the Chambers County Jail
Deputy Kaycie Cain, who has been with the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office since March 2022, testified that she was working as a sergeant in the jail when she booked Sarah in February 2023.
She said Sarah asked for a copy of her warrant and wanted to know what “IND” meant. Cain said she told her it was short for “indictment.” When Cain told her what that meant, Hartsfield responded, “There’s no way they could have found that much evidence against me.”
3:16 p.m. - Emma dismissed from the stand. The state calls its 31st witness to the stand, Ryan Donohue, Sarah’s son
Ryan Donahue also appeared to avoid eye contact with his mother as he testified. He said he wasn’t sure how to feel about being there. Ryan met Joseph twice but said he didn’t really know him, and only spoke with him for about 10 minutes. He said his understanding of their relationship came mostly from what Sarah told him.
Ryan recalled Sarah staying with him for about a month after surgery and overhearing an argument between Sarah and Joseph over their puppy being left in the kennel. He said Sarah told him the two had financial problems and that Joseph would buy things that were bad for his diabetes when there was money in the account.
Ryan described Joseph as “quiet” and said he saw text messages between them where Joseph called Sarah “beautiful” and sent loving messages. Sarah told him those messages were only because their relationship was rocky. Ryan said his mother seemed happy at times, but knew they had argued over Christmas.
Ryan testified that Sarah sent him letters and called from jail, but he never wrote back. During one of those calls, Sarah told him he didn’t have to comply with the subpoena to testify.
3:09 p.m. - Hannah dismissed from the stand. State calls its 30th witness to the stand, Emma Donohue, Sarah’s daughter
Emma Donahue, 19, avoided eye contact with her mother as she testified. She said she hasn’t seen Sarah since April 2021 and was nervous to take the stand. Emma said she didn’t know Joseph but was aware of the alleged murder plot involving David George. She recalled hearing her mother tell George he couldn’t come home unless he “took care of it.” The last time she saw George, he looked nervous and said he was just there to get his things.
Emma said she didn’t tell anyone because she was scared of her mother. She also remembered being present when Sarah’s ex-fiancé, David Bragg, died, and once saw him hit Sarah with a shoe, though she wasn’t sure if it was intentional or just for play. Emma said Sarah seemed nervous after police questioned her about the Minnesota shooting of Bragg and admitted she’s still afraid of her.
2:48 p.m. - Ashley dismissed. State calls its 29th witness to the stand, Hannah Donohue, Sarah’s daughter
Hannah Donahue, 21, a nursing student, identified Sarah Hartsfield as her mother but seemed to avoid eye contact as she testified. She said she hasn’t seen her mother since April 2021 and described their relationship as “up and down” and unstable. Hannah said she was 15 or 16 when she learned from David George, Sarah’s then-husband, that her mother wanted him to kill her stepmother, Heather. “Your mom wants me to kill your dad’s wife,” she said George told her. Hannah testified that Sarah told George he couldn’t come home unless he “took care of” what needed to be done.
Hannah also talked about what she witnessed the day David Bragg, Sarah’s ex-boyfriend, was shot. She said her mother told her Bragg had attacked her and that they needed to return to the house. Hannah testified that Sarah brought two guns, asking her to help hide one, and told her, “If anything happens, call 911.” Minutes later, Hannah heard a gunshot, followed by several more. When she ran inside, she saw Bragg lying on the floor and Sarah standing at the top of the staircase with what Hannah described as an “empty look.”
Afterward, Hannah said Sarah pulled her aside and told her to “tell me exactly what you told them,” demanding she change her story to say she went inside for clothes. Hannah refused, saying, “That’s lying.”
Hannah also testified that Sarah would give her medications she wasn’t prescribed, pills to sleep, muscle relaxers, or diet pills, saying her emotions were “too crazy.”
Hannah said she still fears her mother.
2:20 p.m. - Christopher is dismissed. The state calls its 28th witness to the stand, Sarah’s daughter, Ashley Donohue
Ashley Donahue testified that her relationship with her mother was unstable and “up and down.” She said she has spoken to Sarah since Joseph Hartsfield’s death, but they don’t have much of a relationship. Ashley described her mother’s relationship with Joseph as moving very quickly and said Sarah often complained about their marriage, but also told her that leaving wasn’t an option because she was in too much debt.
Ashley said she spent Christmas 2022 with Sarah and Joseph, just weeks before his death, and described the atmosphere as tense. Sarah had recently undergone surgery, but spent all day cooking. When Joseph didn’t react the way she wanted, Ashley said Sarah got angry, took back his gifts, and said she was “done with him.”
Prosecutors showed text messages between Ashley and Sarah on Jan. 7, the day Joseph was hospitalized. Around noon, Sarah texted a video of Joseph snoring, saying, “Joe’s snoring chased me to the couch.” A few hours later, she messaged that Joseph was in critical condition, in a diabetic coma, and later added, “He has a brain injury from lack of oxygen.”
Jurors also heard voicemails Sarah allegedly left Ashley after Joseph’s death. In one, Sarah told her to “decline to comment” if contacted by Chambers County investigators, mentioning she had offered Joe’s insulin pens to detectives and insisting she wasn’t worried about the investigation. In another, Sarah said things were “bound to get worse before they get better.”
Ashley also read a letter Sarah sent her from jail, instructing her to create a GoFundMe account for her attorney, and provided a four-page letter on what to write.
Sarah’s attorneys declined to cross-examine Ashley.
1:35 p.m. - Court resumes from lunch. Boots returns to the stand shortly before the 27th witness, Sarah’s third ex-husband, Christopher Donohue, called to the stand
Chris Donahue, Sarah’s third ex-husband, said they were married for 17 years and served together in the military. He described Sarah as an intelligence analyst, a truck driver, a trainer, and a pharmacy technician while in the military.
He said their relationship was “good and bad,” adding that he couldn’t talk to his family without it causing problems between them. After they split, he said Sarah got engaged to David Bragg, who was later shot and killed by Sarah. Chris said he was serving in Korea when Bragg died and flew home for his daughter’s birthday when he got the call. Sarah told him she shot Bragg during an argument, claiming self-defense.
Chris said after Bragg’s death, Sarah wanted to rekindle their relationship. Later, he learned she was dating David George, who eventually reached out to him about a plot to kill Chris’s new wife, Heather. He said his daughter, Ashley, told him, “Mom’s trying to have Heather killed.” Chris said he contacted his lawyer and the FBI, leading to an investigation and surveillance video showing George coming to his home with flowers.
Chris testified that George and Sarah had bought a black Honda Accord and a pistol as part of the plot. Chris said he also learned more information about the David Bragg shooting from one of his daughters, whom he called and told Minnesota detectives, who have now reopened the shooting investigation.
He also talked about Sarah’s relationship with her brother, Cody Smith, and said she once told him her grandmother’s house burned down, and said that Sarah told him that she did it.
He finished his testimony saying he didn’t know how or where insulin was administered to Joseph Hartsfield.
11:40 a.m. - Court on lunch break
11:24 a.m. - Short dismissed. The state’s 26th witness, Ivan Boots, Joseph’s friend and former coworker, was called to the stand
Ivan Boots, a close friend of Joseph Hartsfield, testified that he first met Sarah at the hospital after Joseph was admitted. Boots said Sarah called him a couple of days after Joseph went to the hospital, telling him that his “blood sugar was low” and that she had found him unconscious.
Boots, who used to work with Joseph, said they spoke just three to four weeks before his death. At the hospital, he said he noticed Joseph’s family was upset and said he heard Jeannie Hartsfield, Joseph’s sister, make threats against Sarah, who was not in the room at the time.
A day or two later, Sarah told Boots that Joseph had suffered “a stroke from a blocked artery.” She claimed she heard Joseph responding to his Dexcom monitor and assumed “he was taking care of himself.” Boots said he became suspicious when Sarah “wouldn’t let the family in at all.”
After Joseph’s death, Sarah sent Boots a picture of the toxicology report but never mentioned the benzodiazepines found in Joseph’s system. Boots, a nurse, said he didn’t believe Joseph would ever take a benzo, saying that his friend had always passed workplace and prison drug tests. Sarah also told him she was “out of Valium and couldn’t sleep,” and later started communicating from a new “cash phone” because she thought police were investigating her.
Boots testified that Sarah pushed the idea of a stroke, even sending him home security footage, asking if he noticed any facial droop. He said she once asked him if it was “possible to find the level of insulin in the blood,” which stood out as a red flag. “It started to make sense,” Boots said.
9:46 a.m. - Angela excused from the stand. The state’s 25th witness, Sandra Short, Joseph’s cousin, is called to the stand
Sandra Short, who works for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, testified Monday that she first met Sarah Hartsfield during Thanksgiving at Helen Hartsfield’s home. She said Joseph initially seemed happy with Sarah, but over time, “the relationship was deteriorating.” Short said Joseph became more isolated, her calls often “wouldn’t go through,” and Helen grew more worried. “Helen called me and asked me to come over,” Short said. “She was bothered and worried.”
Later that day, Short said her daughter called in a panic, asking her to drive Helen and Jeannie Hartsfield to the hospital, where both were “upset, panicked, and crying.” The family waited in the lobby and was not allowed to see Joseph.
Prosecutors introduced State’s Exhibit 48, Facebook messages between Short and Sarah after Joseph was hospitalized. In the messages, Sarah claimed, “It wasn’t his sugar at all… he had a full blockage in the artery to the brain,” adding, “I’m beyond devastated.” She also wrote, “We didn’t have a bad marriage… no divorce was ever mentioned,” and, “I had no reason to cause him any harm.”
Sarah accused Joseph’s family of hating her, saying, “They’re still gunning for me,” and told Short not to call the funeral home because “they will not release information.” She insisted there was “no talk of divorce” and wrote, “There were and are zero gains for me. Zero.”
Short said Sarah’s tone was defensive and evasive, often blaming Helen and insisting the situation “wasn’t about his sugar.”
9:30 a.m. - Nancy excused from the witness stand. State calls their 24th witness to the stand, Angela Knoernschild, Sarah’s first husband’s new wife.
Angela Knoernschild, the current wife of Sarah Hartsfield’s first ex-husband, Titus, testified Monday morning about an incident that happened years ago while Sarah and her first husband were going through a divorce. Angela said she and her husband were babysitting at a friend’s trailer one night, watching a movie with a child who was sick. “It was about two or three in the morning,” Angela said when she started to smell gasoline.
Angela told jurors she went outside and saw a gas can and gasoline splashed all over the trailer. She said there was no fire, but when she looked up, she saw Sarah Hartsfield “running up the street.” Angela said she had met Sarah before the incident and knew exactly what she looked like. “It was gasoline on the trailer when I walked out, along with a gas can,” she said. Angela and her husband went back inside the house and called the police. “I was scared,” she told jurors.
Angela said she first told the information about that night to the Chambers County District Attorney’s Office in September after being contacted about the murder trial. She said she spoke with law enforcement around the time of the incident, but said she didn’t remember what was said and that officers “did not investigate Sarah.”
On redirect, prosecutors asked Angela whether Sarah had any reason to be near that trailer. “She didn’t have any reason to be there,” Angela said.
9:05 a.m. - The 23rd state’s witness, Nancy Casteneda, Joe’s aunt, was called to the stand
Joseph Hartsfield’s aunt, Nancy Casteneda, took the stand Monday morning, describing her nephew as a “good kid” who was funny and loved to pull pranks. She said the two were close and that she first learned about Sarah Hartsfield when Sarah visited the family for Thanksgiving. Nancy testified that she initially liked Sarah, saying she “seemed really sweet,” but that changed when she started noticing tension between Sarah and Joseph. “Sarah and Joseph did not appear to have a good relationship,” Nancy said, adding that Sarah would aggravate Joseph and post things on Facebook that “downgraded Joe.”
Nancy testified that Sarah would often message her about Joseph’s health, complaining about his blood sugar being high and how he didn’t eat well. Prosecutors showed text messages Sarah sent Nancy, messages Nancy said she never responded to.
The last time Nancy spoke to Joseph was on December 28, 2022, when he called her, sounding frustrated. “He was aggravated because of him and Sarah,” she said. Joseph told her he was going to Huntsville to open a bank account in his own name because his payroll was going into a joint account with Sarah. “He was planning to leave Sarah,” Nancy said, also adding that Joseph “sounded relieved” about his decision.
Nancy said she learned on January 7, 2023 that Joseph was being rushed to the hospital after her sister Helen called her “hysterical.” When she arrived, Nancy said Sarah gave her three different stories about what had happened that night. In one version, Sarah told her Joseph worked, went to a job interview, came home, made a rice casserole, ate a bowl, and drank a glass of water before going to bed. Sarah allegedly said his glucose monitor alarm went off throughout the night, but she didn’t check on him because he was walking around. Later, when she went to wake him, he was unresponsive. Nancy told jurors she was shocked that Sarah made rice casserole for Joseph because it was “too high in carbs,” though it was one of Joseph’s favorite foods.
Nancy testified that on November 7, 2022, Sarah texted her saying she had glucose tablets for Joseph. She said Joseph was fearful of low blood sugar and was very cautious with insulin.
On cross-examination, Nancy said Sarah told her that she had made Joseph chicken and rice and that she had given him water that “didn’t taste right.” She confirmed she stated to Chambers County Sheriff’s detectives at Baytown Methodist Hospital on January 7, but did not mention the casserole or water at that time. Nancy told jurors the first time she shared that detail about the water not tasting right was with the state, explaining, “I was focused on Joseph and not the details.”
She was excused from the stand around 9:30 a.m.
9 a.m. - Court back in session
