Warning: This story contains a sensitive subject involving suicide.
Kenneth Law’s lawyer says his client will plead guilty to 14 counts of assisted suicide, while the Crown will withdraw 14 counts of first-degree murder.
Matthew Gourlay confirmed the development to Global News late Friday, saying a plea date will be set in May when Law appears before a judge in Newmarket, Ont., on Monday. He said the parties are still working on an agreed statement of facts.
Law was set to stand trial on 14 counts each of first-degree murder and assisted suicide, with proceedings expected to last eight weeks.
The trial of an Ontario man accused of selling lethal substances online to people who later used them to take their own lives has been postponed until April.
Law’s trial had already been rescheduled for January 2026, but was pushed back to the spring as the Crown and defense awaited a Supreme Court of Canada ruling on a separate case that could affect the proceedings.
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The Crown is appealing a ruling by Ontario’s highest court that suggests a person can only be held liable for murder if they administered the lethal substance to a person who died by suicide and “over the victim’s free will in choosing to kill himself.”
Police have alleged that Law ran several websites that were used to sell sodium nitrite and other substances that could be used for self-harm, sending them to people in more than 40 countries.
They have said that all the charges against him relate to the same 14 people, who were between the ages of 16 and 36.
Ontario’s Ministry of the Attorney General did not immediately respond to Global News’ request for comment Friday evening.
If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, support is available 24/7 by calling or texting 988, Canada’s national suicide prevention helpline.
