For two years, the people accused of killing Elizabeth Struhs have remained largely silent on what happened in her final hours.
The eight-year-old girl, who had type 1 diabetes, was found dead in her Rangeville home in Toowoomba on January 8, 2022 – lying on a pink mattress the family had moved into the downstairs living room for better ventilation.
Her final, fatal hours are now the subject of one of Queensland’s biggest and most bizarre homicide trials as 14 members of a fringe religious sect known as The Saints – which include her parents, Jason Richard Struhs and Kerrie Elizabeth Struhs, and elder brother Zachary Alan Struhs – stand accused of causing her death.
Jason and Brendan Luke Stevens – the leader of The Saints – are charged with murder.
The 14 people charged over the death of Toowoomba girl Elizabeth Struhs (inset) gave closing arguments during the conclusion of their mammoth trial in September. Picture: Supplied
Kerrie and Zachary Struhs and the other 10 members of the group are charged with manslaughter.
All 14 defendants have pleaded not guilty to their respective charges, and the court is deliberating on a verdict.
Over the course of the trial, the Crown has alleged Jason withdrew Elizabeth’s lifesaving insulin several days before her death as a test of his newly minted faith in God.
Members of The Saints, who have repeatedly professed their rejection of modern medicine and medical treatment, in favour of prayer and the healing power of God, are accused of pressuring Jason to adopt their fringe beliefs and encouraging him not to back out of his decision to stop Elizabeth’s treatment despite the child becoming more and more unwell.
Over several days, they allegedly sang songs and prayed for God to heal Elizabeth instead of seeking medical attention until she died between January 6-7, 2022.
On the very last day of the trial, members of The Saints broke their silence as to what happened over that fateful week in the Rangeville home.
Supreme Court Justice Martin Burns is still considering his verdict.
‘I will see her again’: Dad’s tears over child’s death
Rather than elaborate on why he disputed the charges, Jason initially appeared more interested in recounting his journey to faith to the court.
Crying and sobbing at the bench, he described how it had been 973 days since his daughter “fell asleep” before revealing his biggest regret: watching her “suffer” while she was taking insulin – which she had been doing since 2019.
After seeking advice from a work colleague and his son, Jason told the court he then began “walking with the Lord” and woke feeling “without anger” in his heart for the first time in 49 years.
Elizabeth Struhs died at her family’s Rangeville home, in Toowoomba, in early 2022. Picture: Supplied
Jason Richard Struhs, Elizabeth’s father, is charged with her murder. Picture: Supplied
He described August 30, 2021 – the day after he turned 50 – as the “greatest day of his life” when he “received the true power from God”.
Jason disputed suggestions he succumbed to pressure to withdraw Elizabeth’s insulin.
“The only encouragement I received was to trust in God,” he told the court.
“It was only mine, and Elizabeth’s decision, to stop insulin. No one else.
“I know Elizabeth is only sleeping and I will see her again because God has promised that she is healed.”
Justice Burns stopped Jason during his submissions, telling him he needed to address him on the evidence tendered in court.
“What you’ve been doing is telling me your story,” he said.
“You chose not to give evidence. If there was some other version of your story you wanted to advance, the place to do it would have been then.”
Saints leader’s bizarre ‘Five Eyes’ tale
When it was his turn to address the court, Brendan Stevens treated his closing submissions like a Sunday sermon.
He touched on the biblical story of Lazarus, who was resurrected by Jesus according to New Testament scriptures, and how his congregation believed Elizabeth would “be raised again” because of their faith.
Brendan talked about society being in “absolute breakdown” and the Bible referring to a “great destruction” and “judgment” to come about the earth – referencing how King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon destroyed Jerusalem in 604BC.
Brendan Luke Stevens, the leader of the fringe congregation known as The Saints, is charged with Elizabeth’s murder. Picture: Supplied / A Current Affair
He claimed the Five Eyes security alliance was actually the “Israel of old”, referring to American currency printing “In God We Trust” on their bills and the 13 stripes on the American flag being akin to the children of Israel in the Old Testament.
Brendan said it couldn’t be said the congregation killed Elizabeth if the evidence suggested she died from a “disease” (diabetic ketoacidosis).
In another aside, Brendan talked about a man in custody who had been addicted to drugs for 12 years.
He claimed after The Saints prayed for him, he was “healed” from his drug addiction.
“We were able to tell him why we were in,” Brendan said.
“And 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 have happened’.”
The leader of The Saints said the congregation never expected Elizabeth to die, but he said her death was something God had allowed to “bring the knowledge of the gospel” to the world.
‘I love Elizabeth’: Son’s tears over girl’s death
Alexander Francis Stevens broke down sobbing as he spoke of his love for Elizabeth on the last day of the trial.
He said Elizabeth did not really want to take insulin, framing her decision as that of a “stoic, mature young girl” hiding her true feelings from those she didn’t fully trust.
Alexander Stevens said there was no obvious sign the eight-year-old also suffered torturous pain in her final days – she did not cry, or ask for medication, and everything she asked for was “granted”.
Alexander Francis Stevens (left) and Sebastian James Stevens – the sons of Brendan Stevens and his wife Loretta Mary Stevens – are charged with Elizabeth’s manslaughter. Picture: NewsWire / Court Sketch
“There was no clear or obvious point at which Elizabeth transitioned from normal rest and sleep to hold consciousness to coma,” Alexander said.
He said there was no “conspiracy” between others to achieve the goal of withdrawing Elizabeth’s attention.
Choking up on the stand, Alexander said he loved Elizabeth with all his heart and would give his life “1000 times for her”.
He said he was glad he didn’t betray her trust in him as a “brother in Christ and a dear friend”, and asserted he didn’t demean her faith because of her age and condition.
“I prayed for her diligently, with the same faith she had,” Alexander sobbed.
“And though I know that 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.”
Mum’s chilling silence at closing
When it was Kerrie Struhs’ turn to address the court, she said very little.
All she did was adopt the submissions of her co-accused – as many had before – and deny having any knowledge of her husband believing Elizabeth would die after he withdrew the insulin.
Kerrie instead pointed to her submissions in her closing address while she was on trial in 2021, for failing to supply Elizabeth with the necessaries of life back in 2019.
Elizabeth almost died that year – she was only saved when the then-unbelieving Jason took her to hospital.
Kerrie pleaded not guilty to the charge, with audio of her closing submissions played during the current trial.
The quietly-spoken mum nervously began her address by saying she was a daughter of God and recounting her journey to faith – how 17 years ago, she learned the “knowledge of the Bible”, described by her as God “(placing) his Holy Ghost on those that believe in him”, proved with “speaking in tongues”.
Kerrie Elizabeth Struhs, Elizabeth’s mother, did not make a lengthy closing on the final day of the trial, instead relying on her submissions she made during her District Court trial in 2021. Picture: Supplied
Kerrie claimed Elizabeth’s (pictured) sickness was “given by God” when she was first rushed to hospital in 2019. Picture: Supplied
In the audio, Kerrie does not deny Elizabeth getting sick. She acknowledges medical evidence where her daughter presented to hospital with renal failure, swelling on the brain and a blood clot
To her, the child’s recovery was a sign the “hand of God” was hovering over her daughter.
In her stumbling submissions, Kerrie railed against the medical system for getting things wrong. She referenced the conduct of disgraced ex-surgeon Jayant “Dr Death” Patel, how doctors would prescribe the wrong medications, how patients had the wrong limbs amputated back in the day.
She attributed the “confusion” of the medical system’s reactions to the Covid-19 pandemic as being proof of how man had strayed from God.
But chillingly, Kerrie told the jurors she didn’t believe she was being judged in the court.
“We noticed ourselves back in prison that in America, they had successfully put a pig’s liver into a person and gotten them to stay alive a little longer, and we just observed amongst ourselves that this, of course, where medication goes… and they don’t know when to stop. So ultimately, it could be fairly presumed that if time allowed, and all of your organs failed, 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, because it’s still you, because your head’s there. And if that’s what enables you to stay alive, then ultimately the law will say you have to do that. And if you don’t do that, you’ve killed the person by not putting a pig’s body on a human head, because that way you can still say that person is alive. This is the obvious progression of going down this path: of saying that because you can do something, you must do it, and if you don’t do it, you kill them.”Brendan Stevens
“Israel, as far as the Bible is concerned, we see really means what this country and others refer to as Five Eyes. So Britain, America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, are actually Israel of old. And we see that established in the bible. That’s why you will have heard us reference it in our records of interview, that the Lord has used people he is dealing with, and he has sent them out into the four corners of the world. And we are the ones that have taken the bible with us. And in fact, in America, it is so blatant that they have on the top of their dollar bill ‘In God We Trust’.”Brendan Stevens
“I love Elizabeth with all my heart. I would give my life 1000 times for hers, and I know the same is true for all my co-accused, but at the end of the day, I’m glad I can say I did not betray her trust in me, as a brother in Christ and a dear friend. I didn’t demean her faith, because of her age and condition. I prayed for her diligently, with the same faith she had. And this, to us, is everything. Her death wasn’t inevitable, but her healing and resurrection is.”Alexander Stevens
“And though 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. And I hold nothing in my heart for those who have persecuted us and judged us, but I pray and hope they and any, who are truly listening, will be pricked in their hearts to call out to God and find the same peace and truth I have. That Elizabeth has.”Alexander Stevens
“I believe I’m here today to simply tell you there is a God and you need to turn to him because his judgment is coming,” she is heard saying.
“I’ve been judged, I’ve turned to the Lord. He has judged me righteously.
“This is for you to work that out for yourselves.”
Jurors would return a guilty verdict within the hour of Kerrie’s submissions.
District Court Judge Jennifer Rosengren jailed Kerrie for 18 months, ordering her to serve five months behind bars.
“It is of some concern that you told the police that you would do the same again, even knowing of the dire situation that your daughter was in when she was taken to the hospital,” Judge Rosengren said during her sentencing.