Sarah Hartsfield murder conviction prompts review of past fiancé killing

Sarah Hartsfield, a Texas woman who previously said she killed a former fiancé in self-defense, has been convicted of murdering her husband with a fatal dose of insulin. Prosecutors have now reopened the investigation into the earlier killing.

According to NBC News, Hartsfield, 50, was found guilty on Wednesday, Oct. 8, in the 2023 death of her fifth husband, Joseph Hartsfield.

He died after receiving an excessive amount of insulin. During closing arguments, Chambers County Assistant Prosecutor Mallory Vargas said: “What a wild coincidence that no person can leave her without consequences,” per NBC News.

Hartsfield’s attorney, Case Darwin, argued that Joseph, who had diabetes, may have caused his own death.

Darwin said Joseph was taking medication that made him more sensitive to insulin, according to NBC News. On Thursday, Hartsfield was sentenced to life in prison, Click2Houston reported.

Vargas told jurors that Joseph “was drawn to the defendant and got caught in her web,” pointing to what she described as Hartsfield’s “deceptions, clever little half-truths and performance,” NBC News reported.

The couple met online and had been married for less than a year. Joseph had told relatives he feared his wife might kill him in his sleep, his sister Jeannie Hartsfield testified.

On January 7, 2023, Hartsfield called 911 to report her husband was unresponsive, 6KFDM reported.

A nurse testified that Joseph’s blood sugar continued to drop despite treatment, and an autopsy later found he had received too much insulin, according to NBC News.

Prosecutors cited phone data showing Hartsfield was active “almost every hour” before calling 911, despite telling police she was asleep.

Vargas also said Hartsfield deleted messages and a video of her husband gasping for air.

During the trial, prosecutors highlighted past relationships to show a “pattern” of behavior, Click2Houston reported.

A Minnesota grand jury had previously ruled the 2018 shooting of her fiancé was self-defense, but that case has now been reopened following the conviction.