Kenneth Law will plead guilty to reduced charges of murder

Warning: This story deals with suicide, a sensitive subject that some readers may find disturbing. Please read at your own discretion.

Kenneth Law, an Ontario man accused of selling lethal substances online to people who later used them to kill themselves, is expected to plead guilty in court Friday.

Law, who was arrested three years ago, will plead guilty to 14 counts of assisted suicide and the Crown is expected to drop 14 counts of first-degree murder against him.

Anyone convicted of assisted suicide could face up to 14 years in prison, while first-degree murder carries an automatic sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.

His lawyer, Matthew Gourlay, told Global News in April regarding the expected prayers. Law is scheduled to appear in a Newmarket, Ont., courtroom Friday morning.

He was set to stand trial last month after being adjourned several times pending a Supreme Court of Canada ruling on a separate case that prosecutors and defense lawyers believed would affect the case.

In that case, the Crown appealed a decision by Ontario’s highest court that suggested a person could be liable for murder only if they administered the lethal substance to a person who died by suicide and “over the victim’s free will in choosing to commit suicide.”

Canada’s highest court handed down its decision last December, but declined to “finally resolve” what it called the “abstract legal issue” in the appeal.

Authorities have alleged that Law ran several websites used to sell sodium nitrite, a preservative for processed meats, and other items that could be used for self-harm, sending them to people in more than 40 countries.

They said the charges against him relate to the same 14 people, who were aged between 16 and 36.

Elsewhere, a New Zealand coroner found that four people who died by suicide had ordered items online from a business linked to Law, but noted that Law’s activities are outside the jurisdiction of New Zealand courts.

Britain’s National Crime Agency has also said it is investigating the deaths of dozens of people who bought products from Canadian-based websites allegedly linked to Law.

David Parfett, whose 22-year-old son Tom died by suicide in 2021, said The Canadian Press on Thursday that he would like Law extradited to the United Kingdom to face charges there.

A spokesman for Canada’s Department of Justice said they could not comment on whether any extradition requests had been made, as those requests are considered confidential state-to-state communications.

If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help, resources are available. In an emergency, please call 911 for immediate assistance.

For immediate mental health support, call 988. For a directory of support services in your area, visit Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention in suicide prevention.ca.

Learn more about prevent suicide with these warning signs and tips on how to help.

— with files from The Canadian Press

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