Shivangi Sinha
In January 2023, Sarah Hartsfield called 911 to report that her husband, Joseph Hartsfield, was experiencing a dangerous drop in blood sugar and that her attempts to help him were unsuccessful. Emergency responders rushed him to the hospital, but he later fell into a coma and died about a week afterward. What initially appeared to be a medical emergency soon took a darker turn when investigators began examining Sarah’s past. Joseph’s plans to divorce her, along with other suspicious circumstances surrounding his death, led police to treat the case as a homicide investigation. NBC’s ‘Dateline: The Trouble With Sarah’ explores the case in depth and offers a comprehensive look at Sarah’s life and the events that brought her under scrutiny.
Sarah Hartsfield Served in the Army For About 20 Years
Sarah Jean Hartsfield was born in the mid-1970s in Otterville, Missouri, and spent her childhood in a small-town setting. Her early life was marked by hardship rather than stability. While little is publicly known about her biological family, her stepfather had been convicted of homicide in 1973 and was not paroled until 1984. Sarah allegedly endured abuse during her early years, and by around the age of ten, she was placed into the foster care system. She moved between multiple homes, where many caregivers described her as quiet and non-confrontational, though capable of sly mischief. In 1990, her biological brother, who had been living with her biological family, died in an incident that was ruled accidental.
Sarah was still in school when she met Titus Knoernschild in 1991, and the two quickly became romantically involved. They married in September 1993, but the relationship was short-lived. Not long after, Sarah married Michael Traxler. As she searched for direction in her life, she enlisted in the US Army in 1997, serving as a motor transport operator and intelligence analyst. In 1999, she found love again with Christopher Donohue, whom she met while stationed in Alaska. Together, they had four children. Ashley, Hannah, Emma, and Ryan, and due to her military assignments, the family eventually relocated to Fort Hood, Texas.
In 2007, Sarah was deployed to Iraq and did not return until August 2008. She later spent about three years stationed at Fort Eustis in Newport News, Virginia. For a time, her life appeared stable, but by 2016, her marriage to Christopher Donohue had fallen apart. In 2017, Christopher filed for divorce, the same year Sarah was medically retired from the US Army. She left the service as a sergeant first class with a 100% VA disability rating due to PTSD, depression, foot injuries, and cancer. Soon afterward, Sarah moved to Minnesota with her children to live with her fiancé, David Bragg. On May 8, 2019, police were called to their Minneapolis home in connection with a shooting incident.
Sarah Hartsfield Shot Her Ex-Fiance and Claimed Self-Defense
When authorities arrived, they learned that Sarah Hartsfield had shot David Bragg, who died from his injuries. Sarah told police that Bragg had allegedly fired at her first and that she acted in self-defense. Investigators found her account credible, and no charges were filed. Later in 2019, Sarah met David George, who went on to become her fourth husband. Events from her past resurfaced in 2021 when her ex-husband, Christopher Donohue, sought a restraining order against her, alleging that she was attempting to have his new wife killed. He also requested custody of their two youngest children, which was granted in June 2021. By that time, records indicate that Sarah had already filed for divorce from George.
In late 2021, Sarah began communicating with Joseph Hartsfield on Facebook, and within just three months of knowing each other, they married on February 2, 2022. The couple purchased a home in Beach City, Texas, and for a time, their life together appeared peaceful. On January 7, 2023, Sarah called 911 to report that her husband had become unresponsive about an hour earlier due to low blood sugar. She told dispatchers that she had given him orange juice and other sugary items, but his condition did not improve. Sarah also claimed she had administered insulin using an EpiPen in an attempt to help him, but by the time emergency responders arrived, Joseph had already fallen into a coma.
Sarah Hartsfield’s Claims of Helping Her Husband Couldn’t Be Corroborated
Joseph Hartsfield died on January 15 from medical complications, but his condition raised serious concerns among doctors. Despite treatment, his blood sugar levels never increased, prompting further questions. Emergency responders later reported seeing several EpiPens on the bedside and wondered whether multiple doses had been administered at once. As suspicions surrounding Sarah grew, the case was reclassified as a homicide investigation. Additional evidence, including iPhone movement data showing no steps recorded during the time Sarah claimed to have checked on Joseph between 1 pm and 2 pm, as well as her access to his phone while he was in distress, painted a different picture.
Family members also alleged that by December 2023, Joseph had started sharing his discomfort in the marriage and was planning to leave Sarah. They alleged that he had been isolated from them and blamed Sarah for allegedly controlling him. The police also looked at her prior records. In 2014, Sarah allegedly confessed to arson at her late grandmother’s Minnesota home, which had been left to her brother Cody Smith. No charges were filed as investigators could not pinpoint the fire’s origin. Combined with the suspicious passing of David Bragg in 2019, the investigators felt they had a credible case. In February 2023, Sarah was indicted on a murder charge and taken into custody.
Sarah Hartsfield is Serving a Long Sentence in a Texas Prison Today
Sarah Hartsfield’s trial began in late September 2025, and in October 2025, she was convicted of first-degree murder. She was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years. Now 50 years old, she is serving her sentence at the William P. Hobby Unit in Marlin, Texas. Under the current ruling, she will be eligible for parole in 2053. Meanwhile, the case involving the death of David Bragg was reopened following her indictment in February 2023. That investigation remains ongoing, though no new updates have been released.
