Elizabeth Struhs death: Religious fanatics face sentencing over manslaughter

The 14 religious fanatics found to have killed eight-year-old Elizabeth Struhs by withholding her insulin will face sentencing for her manslaughter today.

The sentencing of 14 religious fanatics found to have killed a little girl west of Brisbane by depriving her of insulin will begin this morning.

Elizabeth Rose Struhs, 8, died at her Toowoomba home in November 2022 after her parents, Jason and Kerrie Struhs withdrew the lifesaving medication that had been used to treat her type 1 diabetes.

They and 12 other members of a hardline home-based church known as the Saints were found guilty of her manslaughter last month in Brisbane’s Supreme Court.

They are the group’s leader Brendan Stevens, 63, his wife Loretta, 67, and their children – Therese 37, Sebastian, 24, Camellia, 29, Andrea, 35, Alexander 26, and Acaci, 32, – married couple Samantha, 26, and Lachlan Schoenfisch, 34, and Keita Martin, 24, who lived with the Stevens family.

Elizabeth’s older brother Zachary, 22, was also found guilty of manslaughter.

Sentencing will be carried out by Justice Martin Burns who presided over the judge-alone trial where the 14 offenders were all self represented.

Elizabeth was a “vibrant happy child” whose mother Kerrie happened to be a member of a cult like group that believed in the healing power of god to the exclusion of all other medical remedies for illness.

Elizabeth Rose Struhs died after her parents, Jason and Kerrie Struhs, withdrew her lifesaving medication.

In 2019 aged six Elizabeth became grossly unwell and was belatedly rushed to hospital minutes from death by her father Jason, who was not a member of the Saints or indeed in any way religious.

It was revealed at hospital that Elizabeth was a type 1 diabetic who needed insulin for life to prevent potentially fatal diabetic ketoacidosis which was the reason for her grave illness.

Both parents were prosecuted over their failure to provide Elizabeth timely medical treatment over that incident and Kerrie would later serve a number of months in jail for it in 2021.

Jason, 53, had avoided jail by giving evidence against Kerrie who he was mad at for apparently downplaying Elizabeth’s sickness at the time and he became fastidious in making sure his daughter received her daily insulin injections and monitored her blood sugar levels.

His dedication to ensuring Elizabeth was medicated lasted more than two years until Kerrie, 49, was sent to prison.

Kerrie Struhs.

Jason Struhs.

At this point after 17 years of staunch opposition to the Saints and his wife’s irregular religious beliefs Jason suddenly converted and was baptised by Brendan, a former Queensland cop, in late 2021. At the time his marriage had been on the rocks with Kerrie in prison and he was worried about losing his family.

Despite becoming a member of the Saints Jason initially held out stopping Elizabeth’s insulin, despite the group’s central belief in using the healing power of god rather than modern medicine.

Over the following months his wife and the other Saints pressured and encouraged him to test his faith in god and withdraw his daughter’s insulin.

Jason eventually succumbed to the pressure and completely stopped providing Elizabeth insulin on January 3 2022 just weeks after Kerrie was released on parole.

Over the following days little Elizabeth withered away while surrounded by the offenders until her body gave in and she died either on January 6 or7 due to diabetic ketoacidosis from lack of insulin.

A court sketch of the 14 religious fanatics. Picture: NewsWire

The offenders continued to pray and sing over her body in an unhinged attempt to have their god make her rise from death. This continued until Jason finally called for an ambulance some 36 hours after Elizabeth had perished.

The offenders refused to enter pleas during the trial which they viewed as religious persecution and instead had pleas of guilty entered on their behalf.

Justice Burns found Jason and Brendan not guilty of murder. They were the only defendants charged with that offence at trial.

He found Elizabeth’s parents guilty of manslaughter on the basis they breached their legal duty to provide their daughter medical care and treatment necessary for her life and this failure amounted to criminal negligence. Justice Burns said their conduct involved “grave moral guilt and disregard for human life”.

Elizabeth Rose Struhs, 8, died at her Toowoomba home in November 2022.

Justice Burns found Brendan guilty of manslaughter on the basis he both procured and aided the killing of Elizabeth by intentionally and successfully persuading Jason to cease providing insulin as well as medical care and treatment to her and by intentionally encouraging and supporting him to continue to do so.

The remaining offenders were found guilty of manslaughter by intentionally encouraging Jason to cease providing insulin as well as medical care and treatment to Elizabeth and by intentionally supporting his choice to continue to do so.

The maximum sentence for manslaughter in Queensland is life imprisonment.

Friday’s hearing will see Deputy DPP Caroline Marco make submissions on the varying degrees of culpability among the offenders.

The process is expected to be lengthy and could stretch beyond a single day.

The offenders have again shunned legal representation, despite the importance of obtaining it being impressed upon them, and it’s unclear if they will make submissions as to their own sentences.

Originally published as Elizabeth Struhs death: Religious fanatics face sentencing over manslaughter