Inside dad’s 36hr wait for triple-0 call

A man charged with the murder of his diabetic daughter told police he was expecting his daughter to be raised up in front of paramedics to “prove God was real to the world” as they walked in the door, a court has been told.

Jason Richard Struhs, 52, was interviewed by police shortly after the death of his eight-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, in the family’s Rangeville home in early 2022.

Mr Struhs is one of 14 members of a faith-healing religious sect known as The Saints on trial over the girl’s death.

In a recorded interview with police, Mr Struhs explains why he waited 36 hours before phoning an ambulance when he realised Elizabeth had died.

The court was told Mr Struhs expected his daughter to “rise up” and “prove” God was real “to the world” as paramedics walked in the door.

Mr Struhs also explains his daughter’s reaction the moment he said she wouldn’t need insulin anymore after seeing her readings appear normal.

“(It was) the biggest smile on her face I’d ever seen,” he is heard saying in the recording.

“She went to bed a happy little girl, for the first time in a long time.”

The Crown contends Elizabeth died between January 6-7, 2022 after members of The Saints withheld her insulin medication for several days, in line with their belief in the healing power of God over medication.

Mr Struhs is charged with murder while his wife Kerrie Elizabeth Struhs, 49 is charged with manslaughter.

The leader of The Saints, Brendan Luke Stevens, 62, is also charged with murder.

Eleven others, including Elizabeth’s elder brother Zachary Alan Struhs, 21, have been charged with Elizabeth’s manslaughter.

During his police interview, played to the court on Monday, Jason recounts Elizabeth’s near-death experience in 2019 to police and how she was subsequently diagnosed with diabetes.

He describes how Elizabeth was released into his care, including teaching her about the condition and ensuring she received insulin injections.

Jason says he “didn’t leave” his daughter while she was recovering in Brisbane.

“She was fine, she got her strength back,” he says in the recording, played to the court.

Jason went on to tell police how his wife insisted her daughter was fine and God had his hand in the matter.

When he returned from Toowoomba Base Hospital to get clothes for Elizabeth, Jason said he told his wife their child had diabetes.

Jason recalled his wife saying “no, she’s fine”.

The court was told Kerrie believed Elizabeth was “healed” at the time Jason took his daughter to hospital.

Earlier in the trial, more evidence was heard on how members of The Saints allegedly spent days at the Struhses’ home during the week of Elizabeth’s death.

In the recording, Jason explains he saw his daughter get progressively worse over the week until he woke to find his daughter not breathing on Friday, January 7, 2022.

“We sang a lot, prayed a lot, expected the Lord to do his work,” he tells police.

Jason continued by saying he discussed with members of the sect about calling an ambulance at 5pm that day.

He explained he was expecting his daughter to rise up from the dead and how it would prove God is real as paramedics walked through the door of their home.

In the recording, played to the court, he is then heard explaining how he was always brought up to trust in the medical system and take what he was “told” to take.
“Just like everyone else did … it’s just driven by money and greed,” Jason says.

Jason described a “struggle” at home trying to supervise his daughter’s insulin intake in the shadow of Kerrie’s faith-healing beliefs.

“I blamed her (Kerrie) a lot for Elizabeth ending up in hospital, as well as myself,” he said.

“There was a lot of resentment there”.

Kerrie refused to see Elizabeth while their daughter was recovering in Brisbane, he said.

After being convicted of failing to supply the necessaries of life for her daughter, Kerrie served five months in prison in 2021, the court heard.

Jason told police how he received the “Holy Spirit” in August 2021 during a relationship breakdown with his son Zachary while working and caring for their children.

“From then on, I didn’t believe in anything else apart from God,” he says.

The judge-alone trial continues.