A Canadian man accused of shipping poison to people contemplating suicide around the world is expected to plead guilty Friday to 14 charges of aiding or counseling suicide, while prosecutors withdraw second-degree murder charges against him, according to CBC News, which first reported the plea.
Kenneth Law, 60, a former chef, is accused of running a number of online forums that offered predominantly young, distressed people advice on how to end their lives. He allegedly shipped parcels containing sodium nitrite, a legally available preservative that can be fatal in certain concentrations, to hundreds of people in dozens of countries. The case is being heard in Newmarket, just north of Toronto.
In 2023, Canadian police released photos of the sodium nitrite as part of a joint operation led by 11 police agencies from across Ontario. "Investigators are asking members of the community to be alert of any packaging or label identifying sodium nitrite," Constable Sarah Patten said at the time.
Britain's National Crime Agency identified 232 people in the United Kingdom who bought products from the websites in the two years up until April 2023. Of those purchasers, 88 had died.
The decision to drop the murder charges has caused significant anger among families of victims. Kim Prosser, whose son Ashtyn took his own life in March 2023, weeks before Law's arrest, told AFP that prosecutors informed her Law will plead guilty to counseling suicide. Ashtyn's death is one of the 14 Canadian deaths at issue in the case. Prosser said she received her son's ashes on April 13, her birthday, just two weeks before what would have been his 20th birthday.
"To be at the courthouse on Friday and to sit there... it's a beginning to another chapter of this process of healing," she said.
Prosser, who now works in holistic coaching and wellness, said she understands other families are furious Law will not be held culpable for murder, but said she does not share that emotion.
David Parfett, whose son Thomas was 22 when he ended his own life in 2021 with materials allegedly supplied by Law, has become an advocate for change since Thomas's death. He has urged more rigorous legislation to confront online spaces that guide people toward harm. Thomas's death is not part of the Canadian case but is one of nearly 100 British suicides reportedly linked to Law's online forums.
Law is scheduled to appear in person Friday to enter the plea, according to the office of Ontario's attorney general.
