Elizabeth Struhs’ killers eligible to apply for parole just months after bombshell verdict on Christian cult’s actions

Several members of an extremist Christian cult convicted of killing an eight-year-old girl – who spent days in agony as they prayed for God to heal her – are already eligible to apply for parole. The group, known as the “Saints”, attracted national and international outrage over their roles in killing Elizabeth Rose Struhs, 8, in Toowoomba in early 2022. All 14 members have been convicted and imprisoned, with sentences ranging between six and 14 years’ jail. But in an insulting detail, some are already eligible to apply for parole and possibly walk free from prison, should it be granted. The revelation of their eligibility following such a short window between their mammoth trial and conviction has outraged a leading child safety advocate, who has slammed their sentences as “not even close” to adequate. Elizabeth died in her family’s Rangeville home, in Toowoomba, between January 6-7, 2022. Jason Struhs, the father of Elizabeth Struhs who is charged with his daughter’s murder, talks to detectives on the day Elizabeth was found dead about his decision to stop administering his child’s insulin. She had type 1 diabetes and needed daily insulin injections to live following a near-death experience in 2019. The Saints hold a steadfast belief in the healing power of God – opting for prayer over any form of medical treatment and medicine. In early 2022, Elizabeth’s father Jason Richard Struhs made the deliberate choice to gradually withdraw and eventually cease Elizabeth’s insulin as a test of his new-found religious faith. The cult spent days praying, singing songs and encouraging Elizabeth’s parents as her condition worsened and she eventually died. How unbelieving father turned into killer Christian Mr Struhs was initially the sole carer of Elizabeth’s diabetic needs without any assistance from his wife, Kerrie Elizabeth Struhs, or the rest of his family and the so-called church. Both Struhs parents were charged with failing to supply their daughter with the necessaries of life after she almost died from her then undiagnosed condition in 2019. Kerrie Struhs, the mother of Elizabeth Struhs who is charged with her daughter’s manslaughter, explains to detectives what happened over the week her eight-year-old child died. While Mr Struhs escaped a jail term by pleading guilty, Ms Struhs was convicted in 2021 following a trial in Toowoomba District Court. She was jailed for five months. During her absence, Mr Struhs struggled to care for his family and Elizabeth while being the sole breadwinner – culminating in his son Zachary Alan Struhs breaking down in front of him in August and admitting he did not want a relationship with his father. As a result, Jason turned to religion in a bid to save his marriage and family. He was baptised into the Saints by its leader, Brendan Luke Stevens, that same month and began absorbing and gradually accepting their extreme teachings over the rest of 2021. This culminated in his choice to stop administering the drug, leading to Elizabeth’s swift decline over the week from January 3, 2022. Jason Struhs, the father of Elizabeth Struhs who is charged with his daughter’s murder, talks to detectives about his child’s final moments in the prior days. Throughout their trial, Brisbane Supreme Court was told the Saints encouraged and placed sustained pressure on Jason to not back out of his decision to stop Elizabeth’s insulin despite the child becoming more and more unwell. But the group rejected this suggestion – many insisting it was Jason’s choice alone to withdraw the medication. Others argued that Elizabeth was only “sleeping” and would return from the dead. Why convicted killers could walk on parole In January 2025, all 14 were found guilty of manslaughter. Two months later, Jason and Kerrie Struhs were both sentenced to 14 years’ jail, with additional time to serve from the balances of their suspended sentence and parole respectively. Stevens was jailed for 13 years while his wife, Loretta Mary Stevens, was jailed for nine years. The couple’s adult children, Acacia Naree Stevens, Therese Maria Stevens, Sebastian James Stevens, Andrea Louise Stevens, Camellia Claire Stevens and Alexander Francis Stevens, were jailed for seven years. NED-12954 Elizabeth Struhs timeline Lachlan Stuart Schoenfisch and another woman, Keita Courtney Martin, were also jailed for seven years. Schoenfisch’s wife Samantha Emily Schoenfisch and Zachary Struhs were the only two to receive six-year jail terms. Supreme Court Justice Martin Burns ordered all defendants – except for Jason and Kerrie Struhs and Brendan Stevens – be eligible to apply for parole after serving 50 per cent of their terms. With time already served in pre-sentence custody since 2022, this means Samantha Schoenfisch and Zachary Struhs are already eligible to make such an application. The remainder of the defendants who received seven-year jail terms will likely be eligible to make an application for parole by mid-2026. The detail has outraged Bravehearts founder Hetty Johnston, who has called the group’s actions “totally beyond words”. Ms Johnston is a leading child safety advocate who has spent years campaigning for better protections against child predators. While Elizabeth’s plight did not involve any sexual offences, Ms Johnston said the sudden eligibility to apply for parole was a “reflection of the value we put on the safety of children – simply unacceptable”. “They just sang and watched her die. It was clear, outright torture of a child,” Ms Johnston claimed to NewsWire. “Their risk to the community should be assessed. If they are a dangerous prisoner then they should be held in jail until they are assessed as safe to be released.” NewsWire put questions to Queensland Corrective Services (QCS) asking if any members of the Saints had applied for parole or had been released following their application, along with what orders they might be subject to upon release. QCS did not answer any of the questions. Instead, NewsWire received a statement where the organisation said: “Our sympathies are with all those who have been affected by Elizabeth Struhs’ death. “Under legislation, QCS cannot comment on the particulars of individual parole matters. “It would be inappropriate to make any further comments in relation to the matter before the coronial inquest is held. “We will consider all findings and recommendations made by the Coroner’s Court.” NED-12925 Elizabeth Struhs defendents The circumstances surrounding the case, including Kerrie Struhs’s supervision while on parole, were subject to an internal QCS review that resulted in some processes being strengthened. The organisation has declined to elaborate on which specific processes these were. In a previous inquiry surrounding the church members’ cell arrangements in pre-sentence custody before their trial, a QCS spokeswoman said: “QCS does not discuss the individual management of people in our care.” Ms Johnson said the sentences handed to each of Elizabeth’s killers were “not even close” to adequate. “The system fails children every day in almost every way,” she told NewsWire. “(Children) are treated as chattels despite all the rhetoric around children’s rights to be heard. The systems do not walk the talk of that. “They should be taking risks posed to children by adults far more seriously than they do across almost every conceivable area.”