Ontario man guilty of aiding suicide, murder charge dropped

Kenneth Law, a 60-year-old Ontario man accused of selling lethal substances online to people at risk of self-harm, pleaded guilty to 14 counts of aiding suicide in a Newmarket courtroom on Friday. Prosecutors withdrew 14 first-degree murder charges against him as part of a plea agreement, according to his lawyer, Matthew Gourlay.

Law was arrested at his Mississauga home in May 2023 and has remained in custody. Authorities allege he operated several websites, including one called "Escape Mode," to market and sell sodium nitrite, a substance commonly used to cure meats that can be fatal if ingested. Police say he shipped approximately 1,200 packages to customers in more than 40 countries, with about 160 sent to addresses within Canada.

The Canadian charges relate to 14 people in Ontario who died, with their ages ranging from 16 to 36. Police in Canada and internationally have investigated more than 100 suicides allegedly linked to his operation. Investigations have been conducted by authorities in the United States, Britain, Italy, Australia and New Zealand.

The case's path to a plea agreement followed a protracted legal process. The trial was delayed multiple times as prosecutors...