Australian religious sect members convicted in death of diabetic 8-year-old Elizabeth Struhs
Jan. 29 (UPI) -- A court in Brisbane, Australia, on Wednesday, found 14 members of a religious group guilty of the 2022 killing of an 8-year-old diabetic girl after withholding insulin from her for almost a week.
Elizabeth Struhs' father, Jason Struhs, 53, and Brendan Stevens, 63, the leader of the Saints, which eschews modern medicine in favor of the "healing power of God," were convicted of her manslaughter, along with her mother and brother and eight other members of the group.
Jason Struhs and Stevens were acquitted of murder charges because the prosecution had failed to prove intent beyond a reasonable doubt -- in Jason's case because he was under the "cloistering" influence of the group's beliefs.
Stevens was found not guilty for similar reasons despite the court finding he had persuaded, encouraged and supported Jason to halt Elizabeth's insulin shots.
Mother, Kerrie Struhs, 49, brother, Zachary Struhs, and the 10 others were convicted on grounds they counseled or encouraged Jason Struhs to withdraw insulin therapy.
However, Justice Burns singled out Kerrie Struhs in his written judgment saying the "complete abdication" of her legal responsibilities of care for her daughter "constituted such an egregious departure from the standard of care as to amount to a crime against the state that is deserving of punishment."
While there was no evidence of malice, with Justice Burns saying as he handed down his verdict in Queensland's Supreme Court that it was clear Elizabeth was loved by her parents and all the accused, their actions still led to her death.
"It cannot be doubted that Elizabeth was lovingly cared for in almost every way. 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," Justice Martin said.
The testimony of dozens of witnesses called by the prosecution during the six-month non-jury trial depicted a distressing account of the suffering endured by Elizabeth in the days before her death from diabetic ketoacidosis -- a condition in which blood sugar is elevated to deadly levels.
"She was described as speaking little, needing help going to the toilet, and being incontinent," said prosecutor Caroline Marco.
She would also have suffered vomiting, extreme lethargy and loss of consciousness.
As she lay dying at her home in Toowoomba west of Brisbane, the Saints prayed and sang to God to heal her, instead of calling for medical assistance.
Authorities were not notified of Elizabeth's death for 36 hours as the group fully expected she would be brought back to life, in a similar way to Jesus' resurrection.
They continued to insist she would rise up from the dead in police interviews after being arrested in January 2022.
The court heard Elizabeth was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes requiring daily insulin jabs in 2019 following an incident for which Jason Struhs and wife, Kerrie Struhs were charged after Elizabeth was rushed to the hospital in a diabetic coma weighing just 33 pounds and too weak to walk.
The accused are scheduled to be sentenced in February.
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