Joseph Hartsfield’s cause of death has been determined by the Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Joseph, 46, died on Jan. 15 in a Baytown hospital due to “complications of toxic effects of insulin,” according to the medical examiner.
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The manner of death is undetermined. The case underwent peer review prior to release, a spokesperson for the medical examiner’s office told KPRC 2.
His wife, 48-year-old Sarah Hartsfield, is currently charged with his murder and being held on a $4.5 million bond in Chambers County.
In Joseph Hartsfield’s online obituary, it says he “passed away peacefully due to complications of an ischemic stroke, with his loving wife at his side.”
Joseph Hartsfield was rushed to the hospital on Jan. 7 after his blood sugar dropped dangerously low into the 40s.
His wife, Sarah, didn’t call authorities for at least an hour after finding him unresponsive, according to a search warrant affidavit. Detectives found 8-10 insulin pens on his side of the bed.
“Something wasn’t right. We kept giving this man so much sugar, and it kept dropping,” a hospital nurse told investigators, referring to it as “odd” and “weird” several times.
His family members at the hospital told investigators he had recently opened a new bank account, was planning to divorce Sarah, and “was concerned for his safety thinking Sarah might try to kill him,” the affidavit states.
A grand jury indicted Sarah for murder on Feb. 3, when the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office arrested her at their Beach City home.
Days after the Texas indictment, Minnesota prosecutors re-opened a 2018 fatal shooting investigation.
Sarah shot and killed her fiancée at the time, David Bragg, but was never charged as investigators ruled it self-defense.
Sarah’s defense attorney has not responded to multiple requests for comment from KPRC 2, but last month wrote in a statement:
“Sarah Hartsfield maintains her innocence and will assist in the investigation of her husband’s untimely death. We adamantly denounce the misinformation that has been provided to the public regarding her past, as well as any criminal involvement currently in Chambers County.”
Her bond was initially set at $5 million but was reduced to $4.5 million on March 1. The next court date has not been set.