Elizabeth Rose Struhs trial: Court told of previous brush with death

The Elizabeth Struhs trial has heard of her parents’ reactions after an earlier near-death experience. LATEST UPDATES

Elizabeth Rose Struhs was rushed to hospital minutes from death two-and-a-half years before her homicide allegedly at the hands of a religious group, a court has been told.

The eight-year-old died in her family’s Toowoomba home in January 2022 after her parents, Jason and Kerrie Struhs, allegedly took her off lifesaving insulin used to treat her diabetes, in an attempt to prove their faith in God’s healing powers.

Her father Jason Struhs, 52, was charged with murder along with Brendan Stevens, 62, who is the alleged leader of a religious group Elizabeth’s parents are members of.

In July 2019 Struhs, who was not at that time a member of the religious sect, rushed Elizabeth to Toowoomba Base Hospital in a critical condition after she had been unwell for several days, Brisbane’s Supreme Court heard on Tuesday.

Elizabeth was subsequently diagnosed with diabetes type 1.

A court sketch of Elizabeth Rose Struhs’ mother Kerrie Struhs. Illustration: Brett Lethbridge

Mrs Struhs was ultimately charged with failing to provide Elizabeth with the necessaries of life over the 2019 incident, and spent five months in jail.

She and her son Zachary Alan Struhs, 21, are now both on trial for Elizabeth’s manslaughter, along with nine other members of the religious group.

They are Therese Maria Stevens, 36, Andrea Louise Stevens, 34, Acacia Naree Stevens, 31, Alexander Francis Stevens, 25, Sebastian James Stevens, 23, Keita Courtney Martin, 22, Lachlan Stuart Schoenfisch, 33, and Samantha Emily Schoenfisch, 25.

Crown prosecutor Caroline Marco on Tuesday asked Queensland Children’s Hospital senior endocrinologist Associate Professor Louise Conwell whether she had explained to Struhs how critical insulin was for Elizabeth’s health.

“I explained... she’d been near death at the time of presentation and that she would require insulin for life, and it was an absolutely necessary medication to keep her alive,” she said.

Associate Prof Conwell said she had also called Elizabeth’s mother Kerrie Struhs to explain the nature of diabetes and how unwell her daughter was.

“She did not have any questions,” Associate Prof Conwell said.

Defendant Camellia Claire Stevens, 28, who is on trial for manslaughter, cross-examined Associate Prof Conwell.

“Would it be fair to say it was quite miraculous that Elizabeth made a complete recovery following such a severe (hospital) admission?” Camellia asked.

Associate Prof Conwell said Elizabeth’s recovery was a testament to the treatment she received in hospital.

Elizabeth Rose Struhs and mother Kerrie Struhs

“Without that treatment she would have died, from all descriptions she was minutes from death at the time she arrived at Toowoomba (Base Hospital),” she said.

During Elizabeth’s hospital admission police attended her Rangeville home to interview her mother.

In a recording played to court Kerrie Elizabeth Struhs, 49, told police she didn’t realise how serious Elizabeth’s condition had been.

“I’m Christian ... and (God) has promised healing,” she added.

Police asked whether Mrs Struhs thought she should have taken Elizabeth to a doctor.

“No ...as I said I trust in God entirely,” she said.

During the police interview played at the trial, Mrs Struhs said she maintained the divine belief that Elizabeth would soon sit up and declare she was healed.

Police: “Knowing what you know now, would you have taken her to the hospital?”

Mrs Struhs: “Honestly, no.”

Mrs Struhs was asked whether any alarm bells went off in her head as Elizabeth’s condition deteriorated over several days.

“I wasn’t really panicking at any stage … whatever is wrong with her, she’ll be fine, God will heal her,” she told police.

Mrs Struhs said she was scared when Jason Struhs - who at this time was firmly against his wife’s hardline beliefs - decided to rush Elizabeth to Toowoomba Base Hospital.

“I said ‘God can fix this’ … I was scared that him taking her to the hospital meant bad things were going to happen, I know this sounds crazy to you,” she told officers.

Investigators asked Mrs Struhs several times to further explain her beliefs.

Police: “Faith is enough for you to know that she is going to be ok?”

Mrs Struhs: “Yes, even when things look impossible, the Lord will intervene. He does this to show the unbeliever that he can work miracles.”

Police: “Knowing now that she has been diagnosed with diabetes, how is that going to affect you and her?

Mrs Struhs: “I still think there is a miracle that is going to happen.”

Police: “What about her being reliant on insulin for her diabetes?”

Mrs Struhs: “God’s promise is healing, I don’t expect to have to consider doing that.”

Toowoomba Hospital paediatric clinician Chamanthi Nanayakkara, who saw Elizabeth as an outpatient in August 2019, said neither Mr nor Mrs Struhs had ever raised concerns about insulin being against their beliefs, and spoke highly and fondly of the then-six-year-old girl.

Dr Nanayakkara said Mrs Struhs never came to an appointment, it was always Mr Struhs with his daughter.

“Jason had asked if there was any test that they could do to prove that Elizabeth still had type 1 diabetes because Kerrie felt that she had been cured, or didn’t believe that,” she told the court.

“I explained there is no clinical test as such for Type 1 diabetes, she still had Type 1 diabetes, it doesn’t just disappear by itself, and she would need insulin for the rest of her life.”

Dr Nanayakkara said despite only being 6 at the time, Elizabeth was an articulate young girl who had no issues with monitoring her diabetes and self-medicating with insulin.

“She fully understood that she needed to continue taking the insulin, she didn’t make any complaints about taking the insulin [against any religious beliefs]. She was pleased to show me that she could do a lot of the administering of the insulin herself,” she testified.

The judge-only trial continues on Wednesday.