MIAMI, FLORIDA - MARCH 14: In this photo illustration, an insulin pen manufactured by the Novo Nordisk company is displayed on March 14, 2023 in Miami, Florida. Novo Nordiskit announced it would cut U.S. list prices for several of its insulin drugs by up to 75% by next year. (Photo Illustration by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
An eight-year-old in Australia died from lack of insulin, and now local prosecutors are blaming her parents and a religious group for it. Jason and Kerrie Struhs have been charged with murder and manslaughter, respectively.
According to BBC, their daughter Elizabeth was found dead on Jan. 7, 2022, inside a home in Toowoomba, Australia. Multiple outlets, including The Guardian and ABC (Australian Broadcast Corporation), say Elizabeth had Type 1 diabetes. She died from a complication called diabetic ketoacidosis, meaning her body wasn’t producing enough insulin.
Her parents, with the encouragement of their religious leader and other parishioners, are accused of denying her medicine for days before death. Instead, the couple allegedly believed that prayers and “God” would heal the child.
According to reports, the parents’ judge-only trial began on July 10 at the Queensland Supreme Court. But they aren’t the only ones on trial.
Brendan Stevens, 62, is also facing a murder by reckless indifference charge. Stevens is the leader of the Australian religious group called the “Saints.” Elizabeth’s brother, 21-year-old Jason Struhs, and 10 other religious associates are facing manslaughter charges.
Prosecutor Caroline Marco said the Saints believed God would heal the diabetes or raise Elizabeth from the dead. Given the “extreme” beliefs, everyone involved refused to get the eight-year-old medical treatment or call an ambulance.
All 14 defendants refused to enter their pleas on day one of court. Therefore, the judge ordered “not guilty” pleas to be entered. All the defendants are representing themselves in court.
Two years before Elizabeth passed away, she was hospitalized. The Queensland Children’s Hospital admitted her on July 17, 2019, with “severe” diabetic ketoacidosis. At the time, Elizabeth only weighed 28 pounds, meaning she was abnormally thin and weak due to her illness.
While testifying, Dr. Louise Conwell told the judge that the girl was “minutes from death” when she arrived at the hospital in 2019. After treatment, Elizabeth came close to a full recovery.
However, her mother, Kerrie, never visited her child at the hospital despite a call from Dr. Conwell to do so. Despite the doctor’s instance that Elizabeth needed insulin, her mother did “not believe” the treatment plan. Note that Kerrie has previously been jailed for five months in connection to that 2019 insulin incident.
According to other testimonies, Jason converted to his wife’s church, the Saints, days before their daughter died. Given the church’s religious beliefs, the parents decided to stop giving the child her insulin on January 3.
Like his wife, he knew about Type 1 diabetes and how essential insulin was for his daughter’s survival. The hospital’s nursing manager testified that Jason received at least nine education sessions in 2019 that covered the illness and its treatment.
The trial is expected to last 11 weeks, per The Guardian. This is a developing story.
