TORONTO, Canada: A Canadian man who allegedly sold deadly substances online to people looking for help to commit suicide has agreed to plead guilty to helping or encouraging suicide, his lawyer said on April 17.
In return, prosecutors in Canada will drop all 14 murder charges against Kenneth Law, according to his lawyer.
The case is set to be heard again in a court in Newmarket, Ontario, on the afternoon of April 20. Calls to the lawyer's office and the Ontario Attorney General's office were not immediately answered.
Police say Law, from the Toronto area, used several websites to sell sodium nitrite, a substance normally used to preserve meat but dangerous if swallowed.
Authorities believe he sent at least 1,200 packages to more than 40 countries. Investigations have also been started in the United States, Britain, Italy, Australia, and New Zealand.
In Canada, it is illegal to encourage suicide, although assisted dying has been legal since 2016 for adults aged 18 and above with serious medical conditions, if done through a doctor.
Law has been in custody since his arrest at his home in Mississauga, Ontario, in May 2023.
Under Canadian law, helping someone die can lead to up to 14 years in prison, while a murder conviction carries a life sentence with no chance of parole for at least 25 years.
