Alleged child killers’ surprise court move

Members of a cult-like religious sect on trial over the death of a young diabetic girl have opted not to call evidence in their defence or make any no-case submissions.

The mammoth Supreme Court trial of the 14 defendants – who are charged with causing the death of eight-year-old Elizabeth Struhs in early 2022 – has entered its final arc after nearly two months of evidence.

Emergency services found the girl’s lifeless body in her Rangeville home in Toowoomba on January 7, 2022.

The Crown contends Elizabeth’s parents and members of The Saints deliberately withheld the child’s lifesaving insulin medication from January 3, 2022, in line with their beliefs in the healing power of God over modern medicine.

Elizabeth’s condition worsened until she died between January 6-7 that year as a result of diabetic ketoacidosis.

Jason Richard Struhs, Elizabeth’s father, is alleged to have made the decision to stop administering the drug.

The other defendants are alleged to have encouraged and pressured Mr Struhs to adopt their hard-line beliefs before Elizabeth’s death and remain firm in his decision not to readminister the drug when he noticed his daughter becoming critically ill.

Mr Struhs, 53 and Brendan Luke Stevens, 62, the leader of The Saints, are both charged with murder.

Elizabeth’s mother Kerrie Elizabeth Struhs, 49, her older brother Zachary Alan Struhs, 21, 67-year-old Loretta Mary Stevens – the wife of Mr Stevens – and her adult children Acacia Naree Stevens, 32, Therese Maria Stevens, 37, Sebastian James Stevens, 23, Andrea Louise Stevens, 34, Camellia Claire Stevens, 28, and Alexander Francis Stevens, 26, Lachlan Stuart Schoenfisch, 34 and his wife Samantha Emily Schoenfisch, 26, and a third woman, Keita Courtney Martin, 23, are charged with manslaughter.

All defendants have pleaded not guilty.

Crown prosecutors completed presenting their evidence against members of the fringe religious sect known as The Saints on August 23.

But none of the co-accused opted to call evidence or witnesses in their defence, nor give a no-case submission on Wednesday.

Many of them simply said “No thank you, Your Honour” when individually called.

The court was told the defendants had not yet decided whether each of them planned to deliver a closing address to the court.

Proceedings were adjourned until Thursday afternoon for this to happen.

Hundreds of texts exchanged between members of The Saints before and after Elizabeth’s death have been read out in court throughout the trial.

In one exchange, Brendan allegedly describes the child’s illness as a “little trial” to prove Jason and Kerrie were “faithful” to God.

“Don’t think that you’re waiting for the healing, you indeed have it. You have seen his glory,” Brendan is alleged to have said.

“Elizabeth is still healed as she was yesterday. The Lord will bless your faithful work.”

Jason was also sent messages of encouragement by the Stevens children in the days his daughter lay dying, the court heard.

In one exchange, Therese Stevens tells him: “We are already on the other side of death. Praise the Lord. We have already seen the mightiest miracle in you.”

The court was previously told Elizabeth became deathly ill from her then undiagnosed type-1 diabetes back in 2019.

She was only saved after Jason, who at the time did not share his wife or the church’s faith-healing beliefs, rushed her to hospital.

Jason and Kerrie were both charged with failing to supply their daughter with the necessaries of life as a result.

But while Jason pleaded guilty to the charge and received a suspended jail term, Kerrie was found guilty and served five months in prison in 2021.

In August that year, Jason was baptised into the church by Brendan after struggling to care for his family and Elizabeth while his wife was in jail.