Who is Sarah Jean Hartsfield's first husband? 'Childhood sweetheart' opens up on NBC 'Dateline'

'I'm just sorry another person had to die to get her caught,' shared Sarah's first husband who survived 'ugly marriage'
PUBLISHED APR 29, 2023
Sarah Jean Hartsfield's first husband (inset) was relieved to hear about her arrest (Chambers County Sheriff's Office/ ABC13)
Sarah Jean Hartsfield's first husband (inset) was relieved to hear about her arrest (Chambers County Sheriff's Office/ ABC13)

BAYTOWN, TEXAS: NBC 'Dateline' never ceases to surprise us with their great investigative skills. Last week, the show investigated the twisted case of Nicholas Rossi aka Arthur Knight. This week there's an old case that has caught the public's attention across national borders, leaving people terrified. The case is of Sarah Hartsfield, who was accused of killing her husband. In 2018, Sarah shot dead David Bragg but authorities were determined that she fired in self-defense and that the killing was justified. But when she was charged with the killing of her husband Joseph Hartsfield, authorities said they had reopened the investigation into the 2018 death of David Bragg. 

The episode will see many people from Sarah Hartsfield's family and her former friends. An NBC Dateline journalist will interview them and also travel cross country from Baytown, Texas to Douglas County, Minnesota. The episode will air on 28 April exclusively on NBC at 9 p.m./8 p.m. CT. Stay Tuned!

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Who was Sarah Hartsfield's first husband? 

Sarah Hartsfield met her first husband when they both were teenagers. They both grew up in Missouri and fell in love. The couple were called "high school sweethearts" and got married quite young. Titus Knoernschild was Sarah's first husband and he escaped the wrath of death by luck. He was recently on a Zoom interview and shared his experiences about marrying Sarah and his reaction when the news of her arrest came out. He shared that he felt "shocked and relieved". 

'I'm just sorry another person had to die'

Talking to ABC13, Titus Knoernschild shared his thoughts on Sarah's arrest and also shared some private details about their marraige and life together. "I am glad she has finally been caught for who she is," Knoernschild said, speaking to ABC13 via Zoom from his North Texas home. "I'm just sorry another person had to die to get her caught." When asked about his marraige with Sarah and how marrying so early turned out for him, "It was rocky," Knoernschild recalled. Titus then shared how he got divorced so young at a delicate age of 20 and how ugly it got by the end. He said, "She just- Just making it clear that I shouldn't leave her. She would leave me. And then, as it got ugly, she told me that, not to be surprised if I don't make it through this." Then Knoernschild went deep into Sarah's story and shared that she cheated on him with his best friend, who then later became her second husband. Sarah then cheated on the second husband with another man, who later became the third husband. And all her three husbands were in Army, as was Sarah. 

The new 'Dateline' episode will air on 28 April exclusively on NBC at 9 pm

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