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Kenneth Law

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Not to be confused with Kenneth Lay, Ken Lay (police officer), or Kenneth Lau.
Kenneth Law
Born1965 (age 58–59)
Alma materUniversity of Toronto
York University (claimed by Law)
Occupation
  • Sodium nitrite salesman

Kenneth Law (born 1965) is a Canadian man who was charged with shipping sodium nitrite, a potentially lethal substance, to people intending to kill themselves. He was arrested in May 2023 on two counts of counselling or aiding suicide.[1] He was later charged with 14 counts of first-degree murder.[2] By September 2023, he had become a suspect in 120 suicides worldwide, including 88 in the United Kingdom alone.[3] Law, however, is not being prosecuted outside of Ontario.[4]

Sodium nitrite is also a food preservative and is not inherently illegal, but is harmful to humans in large enough quantities. Law has admitted to selling the substance but argues that he had "no control" over what his customers did with his products and thus has not committed a crime.[5] As of 2024, Law is pleading not guilty.[6] His trial is scheduled to start in September 2025.[7]

Early life and career

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Law was born in 1965.[a] On his resume, he wrote that he was an engineering graduate from the University of Toronto and that he also enrolled in an MBA program at York University.[10] He claimed in a 2005 blog post to have worked in aerospace, finance and marketing.[11] In 2016, wanting a "lifestyle change",[12] he found employment as a cook at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, where he was filmed partaking in a labour union turf dispute.[13] Toronto Life reported that Law performed poorly, frequently argued with his coworkers and had few friends there.[14] In an interview with The Globe and Mail, Law stated that this was where he discovered sodium nitrite, the substance he would later be charged for selling.[5] The hotel's kitchen shut down early on in the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada,[14] and a now-unemployed Law[15] filed for bankruptcy, owing over $134,000.[11]

In an interview with The Times, he claimed that his mother once suffered a stroke and was bed-ridden for seven years, relying on a feeding tube. He also added that his religious father did not believe in euthanasia. The Times could not independently verify his claims, and a family member contacted by The Times disavowed Law entirely.[12]

Alleged criminal activities

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A sample of sodium nitrite

According to Peel Region Police, Law "began operating" websites from which he would later sell sodium nitrite in late 2020.[16] York Regional Police alleged that he had set up at least five of these sites, also using them to peddle masks and hoods.[17] Toronto Life reported that these sites, in addition to selling suicide paraphernalia, also offered hot sauce and C$150 "consultation calls" with Law.[14] A woman who claims to be one of Law's customers described a site as being similar to Amazon, even having tracking numbers for products. She also stated that said site was dressed with other products, but only sodium nitrite was ever in stock.[18] The Sunday Times reported that one of these allegedly Law-operated websites appeared "innocent enough" and had a background of cold meats and a cheese board.[15]

An account known as Greenberg, who claimed to be a retired New York doctor, promoted Law's products on suicide forums and ran a pro-suicide blog. The Sunday Times wrote that Greenberg, like Law, was a fan of Star Trek and had a habit of signing off with "cheers", leading a netizen who interacted with Greenberg to suspect that Law was behind the account. Law, however, has denied sending any messages on suicide forums.[15] Nevertheless, the Greenberg account has not been active since Law's 2023 arrest, according to two family members of an alleged victim of Law.[19]

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Kenneth Law's arrest
Exclusive photo of Law being arrested in Mississauga obtained by Global News
video icon Law's arrest

After a British woman committed suicide with sodium nitrite in April 2022, the coroner investigating her death noted the involvement of a Mississauga post office and Imtime Cuisine, an allegedly Law-operated business.[20]

After his son Tom committed suicide in 2021 with sodium nitrite, a man named David Parfett discovered a connection to Kenneth Law, who allegedly sold him the chemical. He tipped off The Times reporter James Beal, who went on to publish an investigation. Beal called Law, who admitted to selling sodium nitrite and allegedly confessed to instructing customers on how to commit suicide.[14] The article also linked Law's products to seven deaths.[5] Shortly after the publication of the article, on May 2, 2023, Law was arrested at his Mississauga residence,[14] as a direct result of his sudden notoriety.[21] In the time between the publication of The Times report and his arrest, he gave an interview to The Globe and Mail where he argued that he had "no control" over what his customers did with the sodium nitrite he sold them, and was thus not criminally responsible for anything. He also accused The Times of misrepresenting his words.[5]

He was initially charged with two counts of counselling or aiding suicide.[1] He opted out of a bail hearing in June.[22] In August, Law was charged with 12 more counts of counselling and aiding suicide.[23] He was additionally charged with 14 counts of second-degree murder in December,[24] which were upgraded to first-degree murder the following month.[2] As of September 2023, Law is a suspect in 120 suicides worldwide, including 88 in the United Kingdom.[3] He is not being prosecuted outside of Ontario.[4] As of March 2024, he was planning on pleading not guilty, with his lawyer stating that Law only sold an "otherwise legal product on the open market."[6] His case will proceed directly to trial, without a preliminary inquiry (during which the judge would confirm if the Crown has enough evidence to prosecute the accused).[25] His trial is set to take place during September and October 2025.[7] In September 2024, prosecutors requested that the Supreme Court of Canada give an opinion on whether assisting suicide can be charged as murder.[26]

After Law's May 2023 arrest, Google Trends registered a spike in interest in sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate, presumably confused for the former, in Canada. A smaller spike in searches for these two terms occurred in August, when Law was additionally charged.[27] In 2024, the Toronto Star reported that victims' families suspected that Law sold sodium nitrite on Sanctioned Suicide, but was unable to independently verify the allegation.[28]

In September 2024, the family of Jeshennia Bedoya Lopez, an Ontario woman who was suicidal and used products allegedly sold by Law to end her life, filed a lawsuit against him in the Newmarket Superior Court. Seven of Lopez's doctors were also named in the lawsuit for allegedly failing to provide adequate care. They announced that they were seeking damages from both Law and the doctors.[29]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Law was both 57[8] and 58 in the calendar year of 2023.[9]

References

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  1. ^ a b Cecco, Leyland (2023-05-03). "Canada man charged with supplying substance linked to UK and US suicides". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  2. ^ a b Arsenych, Alex (2024-01-25). "Kenneth Law now facing upgraded murder charges in Ontario sodium nitrite deaths: sources". CP24. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
  3. ^ a b "'Brilliant, amazing': Ontario mom remembers son who authorities say died from Kenneth Law's products". CP24. 2023-09-08. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  4. ^ a b Yousif, Nadine (2024-02-02). "Canadian 'poison killer' Kenneth Law to head straight to trial". Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  5. ^ a b c d Freeze, Colin; Hager, Mike (2023-04-25). "Peel Police investigate Ontario man shipping substance used in suicides". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  6. ^ a b Daigle, Thomas (March 21, 2024). "Quebec deaths probed for links to alleged poison seller Kenneth Law". CBC.
  7. ^ a b Daigle, Thomas (2024-06-28). "Murder trial for alleged poison seller Kenneth Law set for Sept. 2025, families told". CBC.
  8. ^ D'Andrea, Aaron (September 1, 2023). "Who is Kenneth Law? What we know as police worldwide investigate Canadian man". Global News. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
  9. ^ "Former chef Kenneth Law charged with 14 counts of murder for selling kits that led to suicides in Canada". CBS News. 2023-12-12. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  10. ^ "Kenneth Law: What we know about 'online poison seller' - and the 88 deaths being investigated". Sky News. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  11. ^ a b Mosleh, Omar (2024-01-31). "Who is Kenneth Law? What we know about the Canadian facing 14 counts of second-degree murder". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
  12. ^ a b Beal, James (2024-05-27). "Revealed: the chef selling poison to suicidal youngsters". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  13. ^ Woodard, Jonathan (2023-08-27). "'It's sickening': Mother demands justice as deaths possibly tied to alleged suicide salesman rise to over 100". CP24. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
  14. ^ a b c d e Rinaldi, Luc (October 31, 2023). "Merchant of Death". Toronto Life.
  15. ^ a b c Keogh, Glen (2024-05-28). "How they caught the Poison King selling death by post". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  16. ^ Wilson, Codi (2023-08-28). "New charges placed on Ontario man accused of selling self harm products linked to over 100 deaths". CTV News Toronto. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
  17. ^ Omstead, Jordan; Baig, Fakiha (August 29, 2023). "Police lay 12 new charges against Mississauga, Ont., man accused of selling deadly substance".
  18. ^ Callan, Isaac; McDonald, Catherine (January 30, 2024). "Alleged Kenneth Law victim says suicide website was 'like shopping on Amazon'". Global News. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  19. ^ Woodard, Jon (2024-02-01). "British duo link Ontario's Kenneth Law to account on pro-suicide forum". Toronto. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  20. ^ Omstead, Jordan (2023-05-03). "Man charged in sale of lethal substance appears in court, has case put over". CP24. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  21. ^ Murphy, Aisling (2023-08-25). "Mississauga man behind Canadian self-harm websites linked to 88 deaths in the U.K." CTV News Toronto. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  22. ^ "Bail hearing adjourned for alleged Mississauga, Ont., poison seller Kenneth Law". CBC. June 23, 2023.
  23. ^ Wilson, Codi (2023-08-29). "Police say Kenneth Law now linked to more deaths across Ontario; 12 new charges laid". CP24. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  24. ^ Woodard, Jonathan (2023-12-11). "Kenneth Law charged with 14 counts of murder in Ontario sodium nitrite deaths". CP24. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  25. ^ Cecco, Leyland (2024-02-01). "Murder charges upgraded for Canada man who allegedly sent 'suicide kits'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  26. ^ Freeze, Colin (2024-09-24). "Crown calls on Supreme Court to clarify liability in suicide cases before Kenneth Law trial". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  27. ^ Sinyor, Mark; Fraser, Lorna; Reidenberg, Dan; Yip, Paul S. F.; Niederkrotenthaler, Thomas (January 19, 2024). "The Kenneth Law Media Event – A Dangerous Natural Experiment". Crisis. 45 (1): 1–7. doi:10.1027/0227-5910/a000942. ISSN 0227-5910. PMID 38252508.
  28. ^ Mosleh, Omar (2024-01-31). "Users of this online forum counsel each other to take their own lives. Inside the Sanctioned Suicide community". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  29. ^ "Kenneth Law, who sold poisonous chemical linked to 131 deaths, sued by Ontario teen's parents". RCI. 2024-09-23. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
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