A Texas woman was convicted this week of killing her diabetic husband in 2023 through neglect as he suffered from an insulin overdose.
A jury found Sarah Jean Hartsfield, 50, guilty of murder on Wednesday.
Husband's Insulin Levels Had Spiked Hours Before Sarah Hartsfield Called 911
As previously reported, Hartsfield was arrested and charged after staff at Houston Methodist Hospital noted suspicious circumstances surrounding her husband, Joseph Hartsfield's death in January 2023.
Prosecutors presented evidence showing that Joseph Hartsfield's insulin levels were extremely high four to six hours before Sarah called 911 on January 7, 2023. They said that his glucose monitor had sounded an alarm for quite some time, even alerting the wife's cell phone, before any action was taken.
Insulin is essential for diabetes patients to help control their blood sugar levels but an overdose of insulin or insulin poisoning can lead to hypoglycemic coma.
Sarah Told Investigators She was Sleeping At the Time, But Cell Phone Activity Showed Her Active on Several Apps
Sarah Jean Hartsfield claimed she was sleeping while this happened, but her cell phone activity showed her on several apps during that time — and step tracking software showed her up and moving around.
Prosecutors acknowledged that they could not prove Sarah Jean Hartsfield had given her husband an overdose of insulin herself, but witnesses testified they believed that was what happened. The jury took less than an hour to convict. She faces life in prison when she is sentenced.
Sarah Fatally Shot Her Ex-Husband, Claimed it was Self-Defense
Joseph Hartsfield was Sarah Jean Hartsfield's fifth husband. In 2018, Sarah was investigated by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office in Minnesota after her previous husband was shot and killed. Ultimately, she was not charged. Sheriff Hawthorne said they are aware of that case and have been in contact with the agency.
"Their case was investigated," Sheriff Hawthorne said. "I'll definitely support the findings, and it was a grand jury that made the decision up there. Now that's not to say new information may come to light where they may re-open the case, but obviously, that would be up to the Douglas County Sheriff."
Aside from the outcome of death, Sheriff Hawthorne said there are no similarities between the case in Minnesota and Houston. The medical examiner's office has not given an official cause of death.
