14 Convicted in Death of Girl for Depriving Her of Insulin

The parents of a diabetic girl who died just shy of her ninth birthday and a dozen members of their religious sect were found guilty of manslaughter by an Australian court on Wednesday for withholding lifesaving medication.

The girl’s father, Jason Struhs, and the sect’s leader, Brendan Stevens, had also faced charges of murder. But after a lengthy trial, a judge ruled that there wasn’t enough evidence to prove that the men knew that discontinuing the insulin the girl needed would probably lead to her death.

Elizabeth Rose Struhs died at her family’s home on Jan. 7, 2022, four days after her father stopped administering the insulin needed for her Type 1 diabetes. As she grew weaker and fell unconscious, members of the sect gathered around her and sang and prayed rather than seeking medical help, according to the court decision.

Mr. Stevens, who led a small church based out of his home in Toowoomba, in the northeastern state of Queensland, claimed during the trial that the criminal case was religious persecution. Members of the church, who sometimes referred to themselves as “the Saints,” held a fervent belief in the healing power of God and that medical care would go against their faith.

All 14 defendants in the case — some of whom said they considered medicine to be witchcraft — refused legal representation and chose to defend themselves.

Mr. Struhs, a baker and father of seven other children, said during the trial that he continued to believe his daughter could be resurrected by God.