Fourteen Australians were found guilty of manslaughter on Wednesday in connection with a diabetic girl's 2022 death. The New York Times reports Elizabeth Rose Struhs required insulin for her Type 1 diabetes; her parents chose to withhold it from her, and as she weakened, a dozen members of their religious sect sang and prayed around her. The AP reports she died after six days without the medication, just before her ninth birthday. The Times reports it wasn't the first time the Struhs were in court over their daughter's care. Kerrie Struhs had earlier been charged with neglecting Elizabeth's medical needs after she nearly died in 2019; she was sentenced to 18 months.
Husband Jason Struhs provided evidence against her and received a suspended sentence. He said his wife had kept the seriousness of Elizabeth's condition from him; after finding her unconscious, he brought her to a hospital, where she was found to be experiencing kidney failure, brain swelling, and a blood clot in connection with her undiagnosed diabetes; she was reportedly minutes from death and was hospitalized for a month. Australia's ABC reports Jason visited her daily; her mother never did. For two years, he kept up with Elizabeth's insulin. But things apparently changed in 2021.
As Kerrie began her sentence, Jason, angry and overwhelmed by the responsibilities he had been left with, found peace through prayer and decided to become a member of the religious group. Known as The Saints, the BBC reports they are not affiliated with any established church and are made up of about two dozen members from three families.
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Within months, Jason was convinced to stop administering the insulin. He and church leader Brendan Stevens were also charged with murder, but a judge ruled there was insufficient evidence that the men knew their actions would likely lead to her death. The sect disavows medicine, with some of those on trial calling it witchcraft. Justice Martin Burns wrote Jason Struhs could have been "so consumed by a particular belief promoted without pause by all its members, that he never came to the full realization Elizabeth would probably die, believing instead God would not allow that to happen." Australia's ABC reports they'll be sentenced in February. (More Australia stories.)
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