Church and family found guilty of manslaughter of 8-year-old girl

Australian Community Media

The parents and 12 members of a religious congregation accused of killing an eight-year-old girl by withholding her diabetes medication have been found guilty of manslaughter. Elizabeth Rose Struhs died on January 7, 2022 at her family's home in Toowoomba, west of Brisbane, after six days without her prescribed insulin shots for type-1 diabetes. Elizabeth's 49-year-old mother, Kerrie Elizabeth Struhs, and 22-year-old brother Zachary Alan Struhs faced trial for manslaughter along with 10 other members of "The Saints" congregation. This video includes ACM-produced voiceover powered by AI.

Transcript

00:00We trust in God, so we don't think that she needs the needles, that God has healed her.

00:06The parents and 12 members of a religious congregation accused of killing an eight-year-old

00:11girl by withholding her diabetes medication have been found guilty of manslaughter.

00:16Elizabeth Rose Strews died on January 7, 2022, at her family's home in Toowoomba, west of

00:24Brisbane, after six days without her prescribed insulin shots for type 1 diabetes.

00:30And we believe in the healing power of God, and we don't believe in being held up by medication.

00:46And as Elizabeth was diagnosed with diabetes a couple of years ago, we believe that she

00:55didn't need to continue with the medication, and that she would be healed.

01:00Elizabeth's 49-year-old mother, Kerry Elizabeth Strews, and 22-year-old brother, Zachary Alan

01:05Strews, faced trial for manslaughter, along with 10 other members of the Saints congregation.

01:12And when you say we, like, who was with you in that thought process?

01:17Oh no, it was me, because I'm the one that gives it to her.

01:21Oh, we'd given up insulin. I mean, I believe in God, but there's still... I was scared.

01:28You were scared, you were still unsure about stopping the insulin at that point?

01:31Yeah, yeah, yeah. There hadn't been a decision about that, but we spoke about it.

01:34Why were you scared about stopping it?

01:38I suppose I was still in the flesh and thinking like a man, and you know what can happen.

01:44What did you think could happen if you stopped the insulin?

01:46Oh, she could die. But I trusted in God, and so did she, so we made the decision together that...

01:53Okay.

01:55And regardless of what is happening now, we still believe he can do anything. He has promised healing.

02:08For more UN videos visit www.un.org

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