An Ontario man accused of sending lethal substances to people who later committed suicide is formally charged with 14 counts of second-degree murder, on top of his previous 14 charges of advising and aiding suicide.
Kenneth Law now faces a total of 28 charges.
Police announced the new charges against Law Tuesday morning. She says all the charges he faces relate to the same 14 victims in Ontario, aged 16 to 36.
Law’s attorney said his client will plead not guilty to the new second-degree murder charges.
Police allege the Mississauga man operated several websites used to sell sodium nitrite and other items that can be used to self-harm. He reportedly shipped these products to over 40 countries.
Authorities in other Canadian regions, including the Montreal City Police Service, and other countries have also indicated that they are investigating possible links between the deaths occurring on their territory and Law’s alleged activities.
British police announced that they had identified 232 people in the United Kingdom, of whom 88 died, who had purchased products on websites based in Canada and believed to be linked to Law.
Authorities in the United States, Italy, Australia and New Zealand have also opened their own investigations.
If you are thinking about suicide or worried about a loved one, support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Quebec residents can contact the Suicide Prevention Center at 1 866 APPELLE (1 866 277-3553) , or visit suicide.ca for help via text or chat. You can also call Let’s Talk Suicide Canada (1 833 456-4566) or text in the evening to the number 45645.
To watch on video