BRISBANE, Australia — On Wednesday, a jury found two grieving parents, along with 12 members of their religious community, guilty of manslaughter in connection with the death of an 8-year-old girl due to a lack of necessary diabetes treatment.
Elizabeth Rose Struhs passed away on January 7, 2022, in her family’s residence located in Toowoomba, Queensland after enduring six days without her required insulin shots for type 1 diabetes.
Jason Richard Struhs, 53, the girl’s father, and Brendan Luke Stevens, 63, who is the leader of their religious group known as “The Saints,” faced more severe murder charges. However, Queensland Supreme Court Justice Martin Burns ruled that both were guilty of manslaughter instead.
The court also adjudicated that twelve other members of the congregation, which included Elizabeth’s mother, Kerrie Elizabeth Struhs, 49, and her brother, Zachary Alan Struhs, 22, were likewise found guilty. None of the defendants were acquitted of the charges.
All fourteen individuals have been taken into custody and are set to return to court for sentencing scheduled for February 11, where they could each face maximum penalties of life imprisonment.
Elizabeth’s older sister, Jayde Struhs, expressed her relief over the verdicts outside the courthouse, stating, “While we received a favorable outcome today, it is crucial to recognize that the system failed to ensure Elizabeth’s safety in the first place.”
She continued, “Our presence here today is a result of the fact that more should have been done earlier to shield her from a genuinely unsafe situation within her own home.”
In his reasoning for not convicting the father and the religious leader of murder, Justice Burns commented that the prosecution did not successfully demonstrate that they acted with reckless disregard for life.
“There was still a reasonable chance that, within the secluded environment of the church surrounding Struhs, he (the father) may not have fully comprehended that Elizabeth was likely to die,” the judge remarked.
Nevertheless, Burns pointed out that the parents exhibited an “extreme deviation from acceptable standards of care” in collaboration with the other defendants.
During the trial’s initial statements, Stevens claimed that all defendants believed they had faith that divine intervention would heal the girl. Each of the defendants chose to represent themselves and personally addressed the court during the concluding statements.
Justice Burns recommended that they seek legal counsel before their upcoming sentencing.
