Canadian Man Pleads Guilty to 14 Suicide Counts in Poison Case

A Canadian man accused of shipping a lethal preservative to people in multiple countries is expected to plead guilty on Friday to 14 counts of aiding or counseling suicide. Kenneth Law, 60, a former chef, is accused of operating online forums that provided instructions on ending life and of mailing parcels containing sodium nitrite to hundreds of recipients.

Canadian police said the substance can be fatal in certain concentrations.

Prosecutors will drop second-degree murder charges against Law, according to multiple sources cited by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Law is scheduled to appear in person at the Newmarket courthouse, just north of Toronto. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation first reported the plea arrangement.

Law's defense lawyer and the office of Ontario's attorney general confirmed the Friday hearing.

Prosser, whose son Ashtyn died in March 2023 after receiving materials allegedly linked to Law, said she plans to attend the hearing. She described the period since her son's death as an ongoing process of healing. David Parfett, whose son Thomas died in 2021, said the plea deal does not reflect the full scope of the conduct.

Leonardo Bedoya, whose daughter Jeshennia died in 2022, told CTV he believes Law should face murder charges.

University law professor Robert Currie said Canadian law leaves unclear whether the same conduct can constitute both counseling suicide and murder. Prosecutors chose to proceed on the counseling charges after a Supreme Court of Canada decision in a separate case did not resolve the issue.

Currie said Law is likely to receive a sentence of 10 to 20 years depending on whether terms run concurrently or consecutively. He added that further legal proceedings outside Canada remain possible.