ANAHUAC, Texas – A 12-person jury was seated Monday in the murder trial of Sarah Hartsfield, and opening statements ended after about an hour. Two witnesses were then called to the stand: the victim’s mother and sister.
Prosecutors say the case centers on the January 2023 death of Joseph Hartsfield, whose death certificate lists complications from toxic insulin exposure. Authorities allege Sarah Hartsfield ignored alerts about her husband’s dangerously low blood sugar, delayed calling 911 after finding him unresponsive, and that investigators later found multiple insulin pens near his bed.
After more than seven hours of Voir Dire, jurors and two alternates were chosen to hear the case. The jury is made up of four women and eight men who will now hear evidence over the coming days.
Prosecutors have indicated that they may call a large number of witnesses. Court filings show the state listed more than 80 potential witnesses, including medical and law enforcement experts and dozens of people from the defendant’s past. Testimony is expected to address medical forensics, diabetes care, and the timeline of events leading to Joseph Hartsfield’s hospitalization and death.
Judge Chap B. Cain has approved one television camera in the courtroom for the duration of the trial.
4:30 p.m. - Court dismissed for the day, back Wednesday at 9 a.m.
Before court was dismissed, defense attorney Case Darwin began his cross-examination with Jeannie. Darwin was not able to get far in his cross-examination before the judge dismissed court for the day.
3:20 p.m. - Court took a 15-minute
When court returned, the state asked a few more questions before passing the witness to the defense.
She also described text messages from Sarah, including a warning sent to her sister-in-law claiming she had ways of “tapping into phone lines” from her military background. Jeannie said the family had already been worried that Sarah seemed to know too much about private conversations.
In court, prosecutors introduced State’s Exhibit 17, a screenshot of medical chart notes Sarah sent to the family while Joseph was in the hospital. The notes read: “Patient’s other family members are also here and claiming they think his wife gave him too much insulin ... police are here.”
Sarah followed up with an angry message to Jeannie: “I owe you nothing. The nerve of you is incredible, nothing short of cruel. Joe would be livid for you to say such a thing and treat me the way you did in the ER—it’s no wonder WE decided to cut ties with all of you!”
Jeannie said she did not know of any decision to cut ties with Joseph. She also recounted a brief argument inside the hospital. According to Jeannie, Sarah snapped at their family and said, “Y’all have some damn nerve.” Jeannie responded by saying, “You’ve got some damn nerve,”. She testified that hospital staff eventually removed her from the building.
Family members said they were denied time with Joseph in his final hours, limited to a short 10-minute visit before being asked to leave. “He was just being kept alive at that point to do organ donations,” Jeannie testified, adding that Sarah became irate when she saw their names on the hospital sign-in sheet.
Despite efforts by Jeannie and her brother to reconcile with Sarah afterward, she said their messages went unanswered. The family later held their own memorial service for Joseph, which Sarah was also angry about, sending another lengthy text rant.
2:22 p.m. - Court back in session, Jeannie Hartsfield called as second witness
Jeannie described her brother Joseph as someone with a “zest for life” who wanted love again after his first divorce.
She said she was initially happy when he met Sarah Hartsfield, because she thought she would help take care of her brother. But Jeannie soon noticed the frequent rants, fights, and Sarah’s need for control.
Jeannie said that her brother, Joseph, confided that Sarah was “crazy,” and because of that, she worried about her brother’s safety.
She recalled Sarah casually admitting, “Yes … but it was self-defense,” when asked if she had killed a man.
Jeannie also said she met one of Sarah’s children before, her daughter, who claimed to have some worries about her mother. Jeannie also said Sarah told her that she was upset because she had to sit in court and listen to her children “talk bad about her.” She said Sarah also told her the FBI visited her once regarding a murder plot involving her ex-husband’s new wife in Arizona.
Sarah also once exploded during a family fight, screaming, “You’ll never f**ing see him now!”
As the relationship worsened, Jeannie said Joseph would say he was leaving Sarah. At one point, a month before his death, Jeannie testified that Joseph opened a new bank account at a credit union with her help and their brother Tony, using their mother’s address in Midway, Texas. She said the move was part of his plan to leave Sarah. “We gave him money to open a checking account to help him leave her,” Jeannie told the jury.
At the hospital after Joseph was found unresponsive, Jeannie told Sarah, “I’ve got a pretty good idea what happened.” She testified that the family was repeatedly denied access to see Joseph in the hospital.
Jeannie was very emotional when telling the jury how Sarah would send her angry text messages and even denied the family from attending the funeral.
Notable detail: Sarah appeared in court wearing a wedding ring, though it is unclear if it is the same one from her marriage to Joseph.
1:52 p.m. - Court goes on 15-minute break.
Helen is dismissed from the stand, and the second witness will be called after the break.
1:20 p.m. - Court back in session - Helen returns to stand
After lunch, Helen Hartsfield remained on the stand, becoming emotional as she described losing her son as harder than losing her husband.
During cross-examination, defense attorney Case Darwin pressed her on Joseph’s health, pointing out his history of diabetes complications, digestive issues, and sleep apnea. Helen acknowledged Joseph didn’t always take the best care of himself, but maintained her concerns about Sarah Hartsfield’s behavior.
Helen recalled Joseph staying with her after a fight with Sarah in December 2022, and she testified about Sarah’s ongoing financial worries, claims of breast cancer, and the couple’s material lifestyle.
On redirect, prosecutors asked more questions regarding Helen’s belief that her concerns about Sarah were not false accusations. Helen also shared that she warned Joseph to have authorities present if he attempted to leave the marriage and home because “it wouldn’t end peacefully.”
The testimony closed with mention of a major family dispute with Sarah that Helen described as “World War Three.”
12:00 p.m. - Court breaks for lunch
10:30 - Jury given 15-minute break
After the short break, the state introduced a phone call Joseph Hartsfield made to his mother, Helen, on Dec. 29, 2022, just after returning home. In a voicemail, Joseph told her, “I went home, prepared to be shot, but it didn’t happen.”
The jury was excused while the call was played, then the exhibit was admitted.
Helen testified about a series of text messages Sarah Hartsfield sent her in late December and early January. Sarah urged Helen, as “a Christian woman,” to encourage Joseph to stay in the marriage, accused her of undermining the relationship, and later told the family not to contact them again.
Helen believed Sarah knew details of private conversations and money she had given Joseph to help him leave.
Helen said Joseph told her that when Sarah got angry, “she gets mean,” and once acted like she was going to hit him. She also testified that Sarah once said she had killed a man in self-defense, which left Helen fearful for her son’s safety.
At the hospital, Helen said Sarah tried to keep the family from seeing Joseph, only allowing her in after she begged. Joseph was unconscious, and doctors asked about medications he didn’t normally take.
Helen also testified that Sarah prevented her from attending Joseph’s funeral.
Helen showed jurors Joseph’s college ring, which she said Sarah handed to her at the hospital on the last day she saw her son.
Exhibits entered:
- State’s Exhibit 2: voicemail recording from Joseph to his mother.
- State’s Exhibit 4: Joseph’s funeral pamphlet, which Sarah disputed over the date of death.
9:33 a.m. - Both sides conclude opening statements; Helen Hartsfield, Joseph’s mother, called as first witness
Helen described her son Joe as friendly, loving, and argumentative. She said he had had diabetes since his mid-20s and was fearful of serious complications, due to incidents involving his father.
Helen recalled meeting Sarah in November 2021, shortly after she and Joe connected online. Initially, she liked Sarah but noticed red flags, including Sarah not having custody of her own children.
Helen testified that Sarah was controlling, often complained about Joe’s income and work, and had conflicts with Joe’s son. She said Sarah would leave the house whenever upset and often communicated with her through text messages about issues with Joe. Helen encouraged Joe to turn on the cameras in the home if he felt unsafe.
Helen also described Joe being isolated due to financial stipulations, missing family events, and the couple’s fast-moving relationship. She mentioned that Sarah’s behavior around Joe’s children was concerning, including her reluctance to have his son around. Helen said she noticed warning signs during their brief time together and recounted a time when Sarah had called her hysterically after a week of marriage about Joe’s behavior, which Helen found unusual.
She testified that Joe’s last birthday was the final time Sarah stopped him from attending a family celebration, saying that she didn’t feel well. Helen said the family sometimes had difficulty reaching Joe.
WATCH LIVE RECAP OF FIRST DAY OF TRIAL ON YOUTUBE.
9:21 a.m. - Prosecution concludes opening statements; defense opens with Case Darwin
Defense attorneys argued Joseph Hartsfield’s death was not murder but the result of his long history of medical issues, including diabetes, heart problems, and sleep apnea. They stressed that the medical examiner ruled his death an “undetermined manner,” saying the state cannot prove how or when insulin entered his system.
The defense said Joseph often mismanaged his diabetes, neglected his diet, and had been hospitalized multiple times for dangerously high and low blood sugar. He sometimes skipped insulin doses altogether and was on additional medications that made his condition harder to control.
Sarah, they said, had just undergone breast surgery in December 2022 and was prescribed strong narcotics like hydrocodone, valium, and gabapentin. While she was recovering, the couple had a major fight and briefly separated, but Joseph returned. Both were making preparations to possibly end the relationship, but there were no divorce plans.
On the day Joseph died, the defense said he had eaten, was wearing a continuous glucose monitor, and Sarah assumed he was handling his own alarms. She checked on him periodically while under medication and eventually found him unconscious. Her 911 timeline was off, they argued, because she was in shock.
Defense attorneys also said that Sarah cooperated with police and allowed a search of the home, but investigators failed to collect or test roughly 10 insulin pens near Joseph’s bed. They argued that no evidence shows how Joseph received insulin, when, or by whom.
They told jurors the state is spinning a narrative without proof, noting that Sarah may not have acted perfectly but had no legal duty to intervene in his medical care: “She could have done better, but that is not murder.”
9:08 a.m. – Opening statements begin from the prosecutors
Prosecutor Mallory Vargas told jurors that Joseph Hartsfield’s family was initially happy when he met Sarah, describing her as caring and smart. But prosecutors say the evidence will show that within a year of knowing him, Sarah intentionally caused Joseph’s death.
Jurors heard that the couple’s whirlwind romance concealed Sarah’s true identity. Their fighting was described as “incessant.”
Vargas said Sarah resented Joseph’s love for his family, disliked his son, complained about his income and job, and even the way he kept their home while working long shifts. She accused Sarah of believing Joseph would financially ruin her.
Prosecutors argued that when Joseph tried to leave, Sarah refused to let him go: “He was not allowed to leave her,” Vargas said.
Joseph had lived more than two decades with diabetes, but prosecutors said the severe blood sugar crashes he suffered with Sarah were unusual. Vargas said evidence will show that Joseph feared low blood sugar, and on the night he died, Vargas said Sarah waited at least an hour before calling 911 as he lay dying.
The state pointed to red flags that concerned hospital staff, including Joseph not responding to routine treatment that should have stabilized him, and what was found in his system when he arrived. Vargas told jurors the evidence, much of it in Sarah’s own words, would show her motive and actions: “She painted herself into a corner.”
Prosecutors urged jurors to pay close attention to Sarah’s words and silences, her timing, and her behavior throughout the trial, warning that she would be “on and ready to perform.”
Vargas reminded the jury that the defense is skilled, but cautioned against being distracted by missing pieces or “mental gymnastics” that ignore the broader picture.
The state concluded by saying every element of the offense will be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
9:08 a.m. – Hartsfield pleads not guilty
9:07 a.m. – The prosecutor reads the indictment to Sarah Hartsfield
9:05 a.m. - Jury enters courtroom
9:00 a.m. – Court in session, witnesses sworn in