Elizabeth Struhs died at her home in Queensland, Australia, in January 2022 from diabetic ketoacidosis, a severe complication of type 1 diabetes that causes dangerously high blood sugar levels, per CBS News.
Elizabeth needed insulin to survive. Credit: Peter Dazeley/Getty
The court heard that members of the group, known as The Saints, withheld Elizabeth’s treatment due to their opposition to medical care, believing that God would heal her instead.
The group rejects medical intervention, condemning it as “witchcraft,” and instead places faith in divine healing.
As Elizabeth’s condition deteriorated, sect members gathered around her, praying and singing instead of seeking medical help.
Even after she stopped breathing, they continued to pray, believing that God would “raise her from the dead.”
One message exchanged between the defendants read: “Elizabeth does not appear to be breathing apparently, but we will see a victory very soon. God can do anything.”
Queensland Supreme Court Justice Martin Burns ruled that while Elizabeth’s parents and fellow sect members loved her, their unwavering belief in divine healing led directly to her death.
“It cannot be doubted that Elizabeth was lovingly cared for in almost every way,” Justice Burns stated. “However, due to a singular belief in the healing power of God… she was deprived of the one thing that would most definitely have kept her alive.”
While Jason Struhs, 53, and sect leader Brendan Luke Stevens, 63, had initially faced murder charges, the court found them guilty of manslaughter instead.
The prosecution was unable to prove that they had acted with reckless indifference to human life.
“There remained a reasonable possibility that, in the cloistered atmosphere of the church which enveloped Struhs — that he (the father) never came to the full realization Elizabeth would probably die,” Justice Burns added.
Elizabeth had been diagnosed with type-1 diabetes in 2019 and was hospitalized the same year.
During the trial, senior endocrinologist Louise Conwell testified that the girl had been “near death” at the time, describing her as “the most seriously unwell child” she had encountered in two decades of medical practice.
At the time of her hospitalization, Elizabeth weighed just 13 kilograms and required intensive medical intervention, including multiple IV catheters and a ventilator.
The 14 defendants, aged between 22 and 67, refused legal representation and declined to enter pleas. As a result, the court recorded not-guilty pleas on their behalf.
Most were convicted for counseling or aiding Jason Struhs in his decision to withhold Elizabeth’s insulin.
Elizabeth’s older sister, Jayde Struhs, testified that she left the sect at 16 after coming out as gay and is now estranged from her family, per BBC News.
She described The Saints as becoming increasingly strict and isolated, rejecting mainstream healthcare and condemning holidays like Christmas and Easter as “pagan” or ungodly.
Outside the court, Jayde criticized authorities for failing to act sooner.
“We are only here today because more wasn’t done sooner to protect her or remove her from an incredibly unsafe situation in her own home,” she said.
The group is expected to be sentenced next month, with each defendant facing a maximum penalty of life in prison.
