Chambers County – When 48-year-old Sarah Hartsfield was indicted for murdering her fifth husband in February, stories from across the country about the mother of four’s past started surfacing and unraveling a twisted web.
From her little brother’s bizarre death in 1990 to a murder plot she allegedly concocted, and even the fatal shooting of a fiancé, KPRC 2 has been uncovering more about Hartsfield every step of the way.
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Sarah has not been arrested or charged in connection with the death of any person other than Joseph Hartsfield. Sarah is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
This in-depth, special look at the case comes as Hartsfield is indicted for murder, awaiting trial in Chambers County, and in jail on a $4.5 million bond.
Husband #5
“When she first came at Thanksgiving, she was very nice. Very, very nice, very pleasant,” Helen Hartsfield said. “She seemed like she would be good for Joe.”
She quickly became part of the Hartsfield family. A month after finalizing her fourth divorce, she and Joe were married.
“When I found out, I thought it was hilarious. I’m like, she really met a dude on Facebook and they got married,” Ryan Donohue, Sarah’s son, said.
They married after three months of dating.
“The women that he worked with kept trying to tell him, ‘Joe, don’t do it. It’s too quick.’ … I was going to sit down and talk to him before, you know, about all of it. And then he walks in, and they’re married,” Helen Hartsfield said.
- Joe was born in Channelview, Texas
- He graduated from C.E. King High School in Sheldon
- He spent years working for the state as a parole officer
“He never met a stranger,” Helen Hartsfield said. “If he loved you, he loved you. And he would always be there for you no matter what.”
When they moved to a gated community in Beach City, Helen Hartsfield said her interactions with the family changed.
“What changed?” KPRC 2′s Bryce Newberry asked.
“I really can’t really tell you. I don’t know. Everything was fine and then it wasn’t,” Helen Hartsfield said.
Sarah stayed with Ryan in San Antonio for a few weeks during a surgery in December.
“It was supposed to be like three or four days max,” Ryan said. “Her and my roommate had that argument and then she left.”
Sarah shared many posts on Facebook:
- Dec. 18: “In a bad situation you have to know when initiating an exit strategy is all you have left.”
“She told me, she’s like, ‘we’re done,’” Ryan Donohue said. “They were sleeping in separate rooms at that point.”
Joe visited his family in the Midway, Texas, area in late December.
“He was leaving her. We went the next day and opened a checking account back up there where we live,” Helen Hartsfield said. “He had already discussed moving with someone. And he just said, ‘mom, I’m done. I can’t do it anymore. If I stay, she’s going to drive me crazy.’”
“Did he also apologize to you?” Newberry asked.
“Yes,” Helen Hartsfield said. “For all the problems she had caused us.”
Another Facebook post:
- Dec. 29: “A man who has mommy issues tends to approach relationship issues like a boy.”
And more nearly every day after he died on Jan. 15:
- Jan. 25: “I’m a widow…Those words and that title can’t be possible … I know we loved each other dearly…I miss him so much.”
“As soon as I saw it, I was like, she killed him,” first ex Titus Knoernschild said. “It wasn’t about her husband dying. It was about her being a widow.”
“It just seemed like, woe is me and I need this attention … and so I unfollowed her,” classmate Charissa Farris said.
- Chambers County’s top prosecutor Cheryl Lieck Henry presented the case to a grand jury
- Grand jury returned an indictment for murder
- Sarah’s arrest came Feb. 3, a day after she turned 48
“Does it surprise you that she’s in jail?” Newberry asked Sarah’s son Ryan.
“No … growing up, I’m like, you know what if my mom does get caught doing this because I knew she wasn’t doing the right thing on our behalf,” he said. “It’s kind of surreal seeing it happen. Like, I know it’s for the best, but it’s still my mom, so it’s kind of weird seeing it.”
“Honestly, we were all waiting for something else to pop up,” Daniel Bragg, brother of deceased fiancée David Bragg said. “When my mom told me about what happened to Mr. Hartsfield, I wasn’t surprised.”
“One hand, it was a little bit of a surprise,” said Ret. Capt. Alfonz Markovics, Sarah’s former military supervisor. “A second it was like, ‘oh my gosh, she finally got busted’ … the surprise was that she got caught.”
“Is this the same Sarah we went to high school with? Is this the same Sarah Smith that we knew when we were kids or whatever?” classmate Charissa Farris said.
Click on the graphic below to learn more about Sarah’s complicated past relationships.
