Kenneth Law Pleads Guilty to 14 Counts of Aiding Suicide in Ontario

A Mississauga, Ont., man accused of selling deadly products online to people at risk of self-harm has pleaded guilty to 14 counts of counselling or aiding suicide.

Kenneth Law entered the pleas in a Newmarket, Ont., courtroom on May 29 in connection with operating websites that sold sodium nitrate and other toxic substances between 2020 and May 2023 to people in Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, and other countries. 

Law was scheduled to stand trial for these charges last month along with 14 counts of first-degree murder, but his defence lawyer recently announced that the murder charges would be dismissed, and his client would instead enter a guilty plea to the lesser charges.

The Crown attorney’s office told the court during the May 29 proceedings that it will withdraw the murder charges once Law has been sentenced for the aiding suicide charges. A sentencing hearing is likely to take place this fall.

The 60-year-old Law showed no visible emotion during his time in court, occasionally nodding as he made the 14 guilty pleas in front of a packed courtroom. Some people in the courtroom could be seen using tissues to dab their eyes.

All accusations against him are related to the deaths of 14 people across Ontario, whose ages ranged from 16 to 36. Victims were found dead in communities as far north as Thunder Bay, and as far southwest as London, Ont.

The 19-year-old victim from Thunder Bay was found unresponsive in his basement apartment at his grandparents’s home and was pronounced dead in hospital.

Another victim was a Toronto man who purchased a shipment from Law in 2021, the court heard. After ingesting the substance, he called 911 and could be heard tearfully saying “please” and “I am going to die soon.” He was later pronounced dead in hospital.

The court heard about several more victims who were discovered unresponsive, often with packaging or items from Law’s companies in close proximity. Most victims were found by their loved ones in their homes, vehicles, or in a hotel room.

Police have alleged that Law sold and shipped some 1,200 packages to people in more than 40 countries through at least five online companies. Approximately 160 of those packages were dispatched to locations in Canada, but the court heard that the United States received the highest number—431 parcels in total, while 330 packages were sent to 286 recipients in the UK. 

He also shipped to Austria, Australia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Brazil, China, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. 

The court heard that the suicide victims purchased items from Law for roughly US$80, or CA$110. The agreed statement of facts indicates that payments exceeding $148,000 each from Shopify and PayPal were deposited into Law’s accounts as a result of sales conducted via his company websites.

Law worked as a cook at a downtown Toronto hotel and was living in the basement apartment of a detached house in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga when he was arrested by Peel Regional Police in 2023.

UK Connection

The families of the people who died in the UK after allegedly receiving packages from Law say the country’s National Crime Agency and Crown Prosecution Service have informed them that Law will not face charges there because extradition could be a lengthy process and any sentence imposed in Canada would be similar.

Chief Crown prosecutor Joanne Jakymec and National Crime Agency Deputy Director Craig Turner issued a joint statement indicating that the UK was the only country globally with an investigation sufficiently detailed to be incorporated into the Canadian prosecution. They emphasized their close collaboration with the 45 police forces in the UK and international law enforcement agencies during the three-year investigation.

“No outcome in any court can remove the pain victims and their families have suffered,” they said in an email to The Epoch Times. “We have explained our decision making in detail to the victims and their families and thank them for their support and patience throughout our investigation. We will continue to be available to support them during this very difficult time.”

Prosecutors said 79 UK victims who died after purchasing Law’s products will be taken into account by the Canadian judge during sentencing.

Those found guilty of aiding suicide under Canadian law can face up to 14 years behind bars.

The Canadian Press and Associated Press contributed to this report.