Shivangi Sinha
When Sarah Hartsfield was arrested in February 2023 in connection with her husband’s killing, the case immediately drew widespread speculation and media attention. Much of the focus centered on the fact that Joseph Hartsfield was her fifth husband and that several of her previous relationships had ended badly. Two of those former partners later testified against her during the October 2025 trial. NBC’s ‘Dateline: The Trouble With Sarah’ lays out a detailed timeline of Sarah’s romantic relationships and examines their progression and the patterns that emerged over the years
Titus Knoernschild Seems to be a Happy Family Man
Titus Knoernschild first met Sarah Hartsfield in 1991 when they were both students in Missouri. What began as a teenage relationship quickly became serious, and the two married in 1993. The marriage, however, was short-lived and they got divorced in 1996. Titus later alleged that Sarah was unfaithful to him with his best friend, Michael Traxler, who went on to become her second husband. He described their separation as difficult and alleged that Sarah repeatedly threatened him during that period. Titus eventually joined the US Army and remarried, but he said Sarah kept resurfacing in his life. He recounted an incident in 2008 after returning from Germany while stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, alleging that Sarah had harassed both him and his wife.
As a result, he obtained a no-contact order against her. He said he had always been scared of her and was glad when she was arrested, as his family had to always look over their shoulder. Titus testified against Sarah during her October 2025 trial, stating that he had been genuinely afraid of her. He also alleged that a former girlfriend once noticed the smell of smoke and gasoline near her trailer and claimed she saw Sarah running away from the scene. Professionally, Titus worked as a personnel manager for the US Army and is based in Harker Heights, Texas. He is now believed to be working at West Temple Pediatric Clinic. He appears to have settled into family life and is said to be happy with his current partner and children.
Michael Traxler Has Chosen to Keep Silent About His Marriage to Sarah Hartsfield
Michael Traxler was married to Sarah Traxler from 1996 to 1999, a union that proved to be brief and largely private. Unlike others connected to the case, he has remained mostly out of the public eye. Traxler has spoken about the marriage only once, in a short interview in April 2023, where he said the relationship was firmly in his “rearview mirror.” He also stated that he had not spoken to Sarah in more than 15 years. Since then, he has chosen to maintain a low profile, and very little public information is available about his personal or professional life.
Christopher Donohue Shares a Close Relationship With His Wife and Kids Today
Christopher Donohue met Sarah Hartsfield while the two were serving in the US Army in Alaska. It has been alleged that Sarah was involved with Christopher before ending her previous marriage. The two married in 1999, and Christopher became Sarah’s longest-term partner. Together, they had four children, Ashley, Ryan, Hannah, and Emma, and eventually settled in Fort Hood, Texas. Christopher has described their relationship as a mix of both positive and difficult periods. In 2016, as tensions in the marriage grew, Christopher was stationed in South Korea and took their son Ryan with him.
After he filed for divorce in 2017, Ryan later returned to live with Sarah. In 2021, Christopher sought a restraining order against Sarah, alleging that she had asked her then-husband, David George, to kill his new wife, Heather Donohue. Several of the children testified in support of these allegations during Sarah’s October 2025 trial. When Christopher was granted custody in 2021, his two youngest daughters had been living with Sarah. At the trial, Christopher candidly testified about their history. He is now believed to be living in Arizona with Heather, with whom he celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary in October 2025. The couple remains close with their family, spending holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas together. Christopher appears to have moved forward contentedly, leaving the past behind him.
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David George Prefers to Stay Out of the Spotlight
David George met Sarah Hartsfield in 2019, a year after the fatal shooting of her former partner, David Bragg. At the time, George was working for a gas company in Minnesota and later moved into the same home where Bragg had been killed. Ryan Donohue later alleged that George physically abused him on multiple occasions. Other children also testified that they were aware Sarah had asked George to kill Heather Donohue, the new wife of Christopher Donohue. Although George did not act on the request, he allegedly confided in the children that their mother had made the demand. By 2021, George and Sarah were in the process of divorcing. Since then, George has largely stayed out of the public eye, and little additional information about his life has been made public.
