The former boss of a man accused of killing his diabetic daughter told a court his employee had been “brainwashed” into joining the fringe cult-like religious group accused of fatally withholding the girl’s insulin.
Jason Richard Struhs is among 14 people on trial for the death of his eight-year-old daughter Elizabeth Struhs, who was found dead in her Rangeville home in early 2022.
Witness Brendan O’Donnell, who employed Struhs, gave evidence of how Struhs changed after joining the religious group known as The Saints, following Elizabeth’s near-death encounter in 2019.
It focused on the beliefs of the fringe group and how Struhs was treated as an “easy target” for being a recent convert to Christianity.
“I feared for him,” O’Donnell told the court.
“Jason was touched by God. He was a recent convert and an easy target to be brainwashed and instilled with God’s way of believing.”
The Crown alleges that Struhs, his wife Kerrie Elizabeth Struhs and other members of The Saints withheld insulin from Elizabeth for several days until she died between January 6 and 7, 2022.
Brendan O’Donnell (pictured), Jason Struhs’ former boss, told the Brisbane Supreme Court he believed Jason was “brainwashed” by members of the fringe religious group known as The Saints.
Kerrie Elizabeth Struhs and Jason Richard Struhs are on trial for the death of their daughter Elizabeth in early 2022.
The court has already heard evidence that the group rejected medicine and medical treatment, believing that God would cure all ailments.
Jason Struhs, 57, and Brendan Luke Stevens, 62, frontman of The Saints, are charged with Elizabeth’s murder, while Kerrie Struhs, 49, is charged with manslaughter.
Elizabeth’s older brother, Zachary Alan Struhs, 21, Loretta Mary Stevens, 67 (wife of Brendan Stevens) and their adult children Acacia Naree Stevens, 31, Therese Maria Stevens, 37, Sebastian James Stevens, 23, Andrea Louise Stevens, 34, Camellia Claire Stevens, 28, and Alexander Francis Stevens, 26, Lachlan Stuart Schoenfisch, 34, and his wife Samantha Emily Schoenfisch, 26, and a third woman, Keita Courtney Martin, 22, are also charged with murder.
All of them have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Mr O’Donnell (centre) said he felt the Saints cherry-picked scriptures to fit their narrative and warned Jason about learning aspects of his new faith through them.
In his testimony, Mr O’Donnell said he noticed Jason was not as angry after his “spiritual encounter” when he joined The Saints in August 2021.
Mr O’Donnell said Jason was trying to care for his family while Kerrie was serving time in prison for failing to provide Elizabeth with basic needs in 2019.
He said he felt Zachary Struhs wanted “more” from his father and wanted Jason to share his beliefs.
“Because her relationship with Zach began to deteriorate rapidly, it got to a point where she prayed with Zach,” O’Donnell said.
“He really wanted to have a good relationship with his son, he told me.”
In his statement to police, Struhs (left) said his wife did not tell him how serious Elizabeth’s condition was in 2019 as she knew he would take her to hospital against her religious beliefs. Photo: Supplied
The court was told Mr O’Donnell felt Jason had a “genuine encounter with God” but felt he began to distance himself.
“I felt like Zach and the group were influencing him,” O’Donnell said.
The court was told that Mr O’Donnell urged him not to go to Stevens’ home.
“I wanted him to learn the genuine side of the Bible, the full context of what’s there,” he said.
‘What I noticed was that over the years, from conversations with Jason at work, the group would often take little bits of the Bible to fit into their narrative.’
Lachlan Schoenfisch asked Mr O’Donnell during his cross-examination if he considered “speaking in tongues” to be an essential part of “salvation”, to which Mr O’Donnell replied: “No.”
He also denied thinking Jason was “weak” when asked by Alexander Stevens, adding that he felt Jason had been “brainwashed” into the group’s way of believing.
Elizabeth nearly died in 2019 as a result of diabetic ketoacidosis. Photo: provided
More than a dozen members of a faith-healing group known as The Saints, including Elizabeth’s parents, are on trial for her death.
Calls made by Kerrie while in prison were also played in the Brisbane Supreme Court.
She made 119 calls to Jason, Zachary and Brendan between August 10 and December 14, 2021.
The court was previously told Jason was baptised into the group around August 2021 after struggling to cope with managing the children and administering Elizabeth’s insulin.
In a call on August 23, she tells Kerrie that she had “broken down” and had sought help from her job and from Zachary.
Jason tells him that he woke up the next day and felt “calm, at peace and not angry.”
A day later, he said he had “not yet received the Holy Spirit,” but told her he would continue to give Elizabeth insulin and take her to the doctor “until she is proven to be cured.”
On August 31, Jason tells Kerrie, ‘The Lord decided to give me the Holy Spirit.’
“That’s so cool, my God!” Kerrie replies.
The trial continues before judges alone.
