Religious sect found guilty of manslaughter after prayer fails to heal diabetic girl

Elizabeth’s older sister Jayde Struhs told reporters she was “relieved” that those responsible for her death had been found guilty. - (BBC)

A young girl died after the religious sect her family were part of denied her vital insulin shots choosing to let God decide whether she lived or died.

Elizabeth Struhs, 8, passed away after fringe Christian group The Saints withheld her life-saving medication, believing that God would intervene.

The parents of Elizabeth and 12 members of the home-based religious sect in Australia were convicted of her manslaughter after believing that medical care went against their faith.

Elizabeth was vomiting for six days before she died (7News)

Young Elizabeth was left to die over six days in January 2022 at her home in Toowoomba, west of Brisbane as members of the cult sang and danced hoping for divine intervention that never came.

The group maintained a vigil around her bed and even after she’d stopped breathing they sang “choruses” and prayed for her “to be raised from the dead by God”.

Her father Jason Struhs finally called emergency services 36 hours after his daughter’s death, telling members that “though God would still raise Elizabeth, they could not leave a corpse in the house”.

14 members of The Saints were found guilty at the judge-only trial at Brisbane’s Supreme Court (7News)

Handing down the verdicts, Justice Martin Burns said: “Until her death, Elizabeth Rose Struhs was a vibrant, happy child with, of course, her whole life ahead of her.

“She left a lasting impression on many with whom she came into contact on the outside, whether through her schooling or during the treatment and control of a medical condition she was first diagnosed with in 2019 – Type 1 diabetes.

“It cannot be doubted that she was lovingly cared for in almost every way by her parents, Jason and Kerrie Struhs, or that she was adored by every member of the Church including all other accused.”

He added: “However, due to a singular belief in the healing power of God which, to the minds of her parents and the other members of the Church left no room for recourse to any form of medical care or treatment, she was deprived of the one thing that would most definitely have kept her alive – insulin.”

Outside court on Wednesday, Elizabeth’s older sister Jayde Struhs told reporters she was “relieved” that those responsible for her death had been found guilty.

“It’s been a long and hard three years. Not a moment has gone by that I haven’t thought about my little sister, Elizabeth,” Struhs said.

All 14 found guilty at the judge-only trial at Brisbane’s Supreme Court will be sentenced on February 11.