Kenneth Law, a 60-year-old Canadian accused of selling a potentially lethal chemical online to people who subsequently committed suicide, pleaded guilty Friday to 14 counts of assisting suicide in an Ontario court.
This decision puts an end to the prospect of a murder trial, as prosecutors determined that a recent appeals ruling made it difficult to maintain the first-degree murder charges.
The man appeared before the Superior Court of Justice in Newmarket, north of Toronto. He admitted to assisting the suicides of 14 Ontario residents aged 16 to 36. His sentencing is scheduled for September.
According to a joint statement of facts presented to the court, Kenneth Law also admitted that 79 people in the UK had died after consuming or using products he marketed.
Prosecutors stated that he operated four companies and several websites through which he sold, among other things, sodium nitrite, a legal chemical that is dangerous in high concentrations. Investigators allege that he also offered masks, balaclavas, and regulators that could be used in suicides.
According to authorities, Law shipped 1,209 packages to customers in 41 countries.
During the hearing, several relatives of the victims were seen in tears while prosecutors detailed the circumstances of the deaths.
The case has caused shockwaves in Canada and abroad, raising concerns about the online sale of dangerous substances and how to prevent internet-facilitated suicides.
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