A woman accused of allegedly poisoning her fifth husband with insulin and who fatally shot a previous partner says she is being confined illegally, KTRK-TV reports.
Sarah Hartsfield, 48, is presently in the Chambers County Jail in Texas awaiting trial after she was charged with murder in connection with the January death of her husband, Joseph. Prosecutors allege that Joseph, a diabetic, died from insulin toxicity and had extremely high levels of insulin hours before Sarah called for medical help.
Authorities arrested Sarah in February and a judge imposed a $4.5 million bond.
Sarah is now asking a court to reduce the bond, alleging that it is illegal because she cannot afford to pay it, according to records obtained by KTRK-TV. Sarah also has fired her lawyer and is seeking different representation.
Meanwhile, police in Minnesota said they expect to have an update within the next few weeks on their investigation into a 2018 incident in which Sarah fatally shot her fiancé, which she alleged was done in self-defense.
Minnesota authorities decided to reopen the case after learning of her fifth husband’s death in Texas.
Sarah also was accused of pressuring an earlier husband to kill the new wife of an ex-husband in 2021 in Arizona amid a custody dispute over their children, according to KPRC-TV.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Sarah has a history of allegations that she abused and threatened former lovers. In 1996, police in Houston arrested Hartsfield after she and her then-second husband got into a physical argument in their apartment.
Texas Woman Accused of Killing Fifth Husband Allegedly Plotted Two Additional Hits
Hartsfield was charged with assault but prosecutors dropped the case one week later for unknown reasons. The woman’s husband at the time, who had been bruised and scraped, received a citation. He told KTRK-TV the pair were married between 1996 and 1997 and that he wanted to forget that period of his life, which he described as miserable.
A court hearing is scheduled for Monday on Sarah’s request to reduce bond and find a new lawyer.
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[Feature Photo: Sarah Hartsfield/Chambers County Sheriff’s Office]
