Elizabeth Struhs trial: Extraordinary closing statements of group members accused of little girl’s death
The emotional father of Elizabeth Struhs, on trial for her murder, says his biggest regret was forcing her daughter to take insulin for her type 1 diabetes.
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A crying and trembling father accused of murdering his own daughter says there is not a “minute of every day that I don’t miss her”.
It was the first time the incredibly emotional Jason Struhs had addressed the court at length since the trial began on July 10.
The 14 members of the Toowoomba based sect known as the Saints, who are on trial for the homicide of the eight year old girl in January 2022, are making their closing statements in Brisbane’s Supreme Court on Friday.
In his closing statement to the court Jason said his biggest regret was forcing Elizabeth to take insulin for her type 1 diabetes and it was their decision to stop administering it.
“I’ve been told that I succumbed to pressure to withdraw insulin from my daughter. Well let me tell you that is so far from the truth. The only encouragement I received was to trust in God,” he said.
“It was only mine and Elizabeth’s decision to stop insulin. No one else. It was only me and Elizabeth.”
At one point Justice Burns warned Jason about going into evidence about his state of mind at the time. The judge said he would not have regard to it in any event, as evidence isn’t allowed in closing statements, but he did not want to be distracted from his job of deciding the case based on the evidence led during the trial.
“It would be easy for me to imagine in the emotion of this address you might slip, say something,” he said.
Jason took a short break before returning and adopting the submissions of his co-accused as they related to him.
“To all of you it looks like god has failed but I know Elizabeth is only sleeping and I will see her again because God has promised,” he said.
It comes after members of the fringe Christian group accused of killing Elizabeth denied pressuring her father to stop administering the medication for her incurable type 1 diabetes.
The alleged leader of the Saints has claimed he was too full of self doubt to persuade Jason to take Elizabeth off insulin, that it wasn’t his duty to take her to hospital and has spoken of the end of days and having “saved” people in prison.
Part denial part sermon Brendan’s Stevens’ closing statement covered the crown’s case but also touched on issues as far removed from the trial as youth crime, US currency and even pig transplants.
Brendan said it was “completely false” that he had encouraged Jason to withdraw insulin from Elizabeth as alleged by the crown.
“I simply encouraged him to continue to believe God. I no way steered him away from insulin or anything like it,” he said.
“His decision was to remove it and his decision was to continue on that path.”
Brendan said he believed the evidence had established that his nature was “to be self-doubting”.
“So this just adds to the point that it can’t have really been me that was persuading Jason,” he said.
One of the allegations against Brendan is that his belief in the healing power of God precluded him from obtaining medical treatment for Elizabeth as her condition deteriorated.
“I had no duty to do so. I was in the house of Jason Struhs and he and his wife and their children do what they do within their house,” he said.
He said he held no expectation that Elizabeth would die but believed God had allowed it to happen in order to bring the gospel to the world.
“Many people have already been saved even in prison which is why we’re quite happy realising this was the plan of God,” he said.
He referred to one inmate they had introduced to the gospel who had apparently now been healed of his drug addiction.
“He was virtually in tears saying wow I can see that girl died for me because you wouldn’t be here if that hadn’t happened,” Brendan said.
He claimed there had been a movement in society to diminish the bible which was so important it was used in court and referenced on US currency. This had led to a world in “absolute chaos”, Brendan said, pointing to things like youth crime.
Prophesying doomsday he said a “great destruction and judgement” would “very shortly come upon the earth” .
“While some will knock and say ‘as if’ the bible also records that exact scenario happened when the lord used Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon to destroy Jerusalem in 604 BC,” he said.
Brendan “totally refuted” killing Elizabeth saying she died from a sickness that leads to death.
He then employed the analogy of a pig’s liver being transplanted into a human that he saw on the news.
“So ultimately … if time allowed and all of your organs fail they would be able to put a pig’s organ in you and I guess if the head was able to be kept alive they could put a pig’s body on you and if that’s what enables you to stay alive then ultimately the law will say you have to do that,” he claimed.
Justice Burns has retired to consider his verdict which he said would not be delivered this month nor necessarily October given the size of the task.
Lachlan Schoenfisch, who is charged with manslaughter, earlier denied that he was part of a common purpose among the other Saints to persuade and encourage Elizabeth’s father Jason Struhs, who is on trial for murder, to withdraw insulin from his daughter
“No amount of persuasion could have persuaded this stubborn man,” he told the court.
Justice Martin Burns, who is presiding over the judge alone trial, said it wasn’t alleged Schoenfisch had approached Jason to stop giving insulin “it’s a more subtle case”.
“It’s that you promoted your belief in God, and in particular, an article of your faith that is to say that your belief in the healing power of God really precludes any reliance on the medical system,” he said.
“By promoting the faith in that way and in other ways, but in other words, in a more subtle way, that was the persuasion the crown seeks to rely upon, and then the support and encouragement following that is of the same kind.”
Lachlan denied knowing that Elizabeth required knowing Elizabeth needed insulin eight times a day because he believed “she was healed and would not need it”.
He also denied knowing type 1 diabetes was incurable because he didn’t believe that.
The crown also alleged Lachlan knew Elizabeth had been taken to hospital in July 2019 by Jason in a near death state... Lachlan said he had a different view on death .
“For us, in accordance with the scripture, death is the irreversible end of life. So for us, there is no death,” he said.
“I’m not talking about a spiritual concept here ... we believe (Elizabeth) will be raised from the dead.”
Alexander Stevens became emotional as he talked about Elizabeth acknowledging that the defendants “look like fools”.
“I love Elizabeth with all my heart and I would give my life a 1000 times for hers,” he said.
“But at the end of the day I am glad I can say I did not betray her trust in me as a brother in Christ and dear friend. I didn’t demean her faith because of her age or condition.
“I know we look like fools and idiots, deceived and brainwashed, a laughing-stock. I know the opposite is true - that God’s word is true no matter how things may appear.”
Common themes among the closing arguments of eight defendants so far is the denial of pressuring Jason to withdraw insulin from Elizabeth, a belief in the physical healing power of god, and a belief that the child would be resurrected and that she too wanted to stop the use of insulin.
They have also denied knowing that Elizabeth required insulin to live based on their belief that she was healed of diabetes.
“I believe it is right to rely on God for healing rather than to rely on unnatural medication administered in an unnatural and ungodly way. Elizabeth also shared these beliefs as did her parents,” Alexander said.
Elizabeth’s mum Kerrie Struhs said few words, adopting her co-accused statements and pointing to her closing address delivered at her trial for failing to provide the necessaries of life to Elizabeth in separate matter in 2019.
The crown alleged that Kerrie knew Jason was thinking Elizabeth might die after he allegedly withdrew her insulin.
“I didn’t have any knowledge of that at all . All I recognised was he was struggling. And that’s all I have to say,” she said.
Camellia Stevens said the evidence and the defendants’ conduct made it apparent they “do not feel compelled to be bound by the system of man”.
“What may be misinterpreted as disrespect and contempt is in fact a freedom from the fear of mankind and his ways because we honour and fear the creator the almighty god,” she said.
Jason Struhs, 52, and the religious group’s alleged leader Brendan Stevens 62, are on trial for murder while the other 12 defendants are charged with manslaughter.
They are Kerrie Struhs, 49, Zachary Struhs, 21, Loretta Mary Stevens, 67, Therese Maria Stevens, 36, Andrea Louise Stevens, 34, Acacia Naree Stevens, 31, Camellia Claire Stevens, 28, Alexander Francis Stevens, 25, Sebastian James Stevens, 23, Keita Courtney Martin, 22, Lachlan Stuart Schoenfisch, 33, and Samantha Emily Schoenfisch, 25.
They have all plead not guilty.
Closing arguments by the defendants are expected to finish today.
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