Religious group members who watched girl die wait to be sentenced

Fourteen members of a church group wanted to “play God” as they watched a young girl slowly die after withholding her life-saving medication, a judge has heard.

Eight-year-old Elizabeth Rose Struhs died on January 7, 2022 at her family’s home in Toowoomba, west of Brisbane, after her parents, brother and 11 other members of “the Saints” religious group gathered to pray around her.

The 14 defendants faced the Supreme Court in Brisbane on Friday for the start of their sentencing.

The defendants represented themselves at trial, refused to enter pleas and claimed they were acting on their religious beliefs which included rejecting modern medicine as “witchcraft”.

Elizabeth’s eldest sister Jayde read from her victim impact statement and said her parents had been “led off the righteous path” into extreme religious beliefs.

“Elizabeth Rose Struhs was an innocent child. She was my sister. Now she’s dead. She’s never coming back. There was no accident,” she said.

“She died because the people who loved her were indoctrinated.”

Elizabeth Struhs was allegedly killed by her parents, and 12 other members of their religious group in 2022. Her body was found inside the Meredith Crescent, Rangeville home in Toowoomba after the group allegedly withheld her diabetes medication.

She said she had placed a lot of faith in her father Jason Richard Struhs, aged 53, to protect Elizabeth from the Saints’ leader Brendan Luke Stevens, 63, and his wife Loretta Mary Stevens, 67.

Jason Struhs and the Stevens couple were among 14 members of the church group who on January 31 were found guilty of manslaughter.

“These people only wanted to control my family and everything they did. All for the sense of power … so they could play God.”

Elizabeth’s mother Kerrie Elizabeth Struhs, 49, and brother Zachary Alan Struhs, 22, were also found guilty of manslaughter.

The defendants appeared in casual clothes and sat in individual cubicles with glass walls.

Crown prosecutor Caroline Marco said the 14 defendants could have easily sought medical help for Elizabeth as she suffered.

“Their belief in God’s healing should have been dispelled when Elizabeth became more unwell,” she said.

“They arrogantly and stubbornly allowed faith to wilfully blind them.”

The defendants on Friday did not make submissions on their own behalf as to what their sentences should be.

A sketch of the 14 defendants in the trial over the death of Elizabeth Struhs.

Elizabeth had slipped in and out of consciousness, suffered unquenchable thirst and lost the ability to talk during the six days without her prescribed insulin for type-1 diabetes.

“They saw how unwell she became once the insulin was withdrawn,” Marco said.

“Instead they watched her slowly die. Some of the defendants said they appreciated that she may die.”

Marco submitted that Jason and Kerrie Struhs should be imprisoned for 15 years, and Brendan Stevens should be sentenced to 12 years as the “main instigator”.

Marco said the rest of the defendants should be sentenced to between seven and eight years.

Justice Martin Burns said he would reserve his decision on sentences until after February 24.

Therese Maria Stevens, 37, Sebastian James Stevens, 24, Camellia Claire Stevens, 29, Andrea Louise Stevens, 35, Alexander Francis Stevens, 26, Acacia Naree Stevens, 32, Samantha Emily Schoenfisch, 26, Lachlan Stuart Schoenfisch, 34, and Keita Courtney Martin, 24 were the other defendants.

AAP