Relatives of victims will deliver impact statements this week as a judge determines the sentence for Kenneth Law, a former Toronto chef who pleaded guilty in May to aiding the suicides of 14 people. Prosecutors dropped murder charges after concluding there was insufficient evidence tied to his online forums, but may seek up to 20 years on aiding-suicide counts. Law admitted shipping shipments containing lethal concentrations of sodium nitrite to buyers in at least 41 countries and sending 330 packages to the U.K. Families have expressed anger that he will not face murder trials.
Victims' Families To Testify As Judge Prepares Sentence For Canadian Who Sold Lethal Poison
Kim Prosser's son Ashtyn Prosser committed suicide with poison provided by Kenneth Law (Jorge Uzon)
Relatives of people who died by suicide after obtaining poison sold by Kenneth Law will give victim-impact statements this week as a judge decides the former Toronto chef's prison term. Law pleaded guilty in May to aiding the suicides of 14 people in Canada after prosecutors concluded they did not have sufficient evidence to pursue murder charges tied to his online activity.
Case Background
Law has admitted he actively sought customers on online forums, posting under a pseudonym, and supplied substances containing lethal concentrations of the meat preservative sodium nitrite. According to an agreed statement of facts between defence and prosecution, Law sold shipments to people in at least 41 countries — including China, France and Brazil — and dispatched 330 packages to the United Kingdom. He often charged about $80 per shipment.
Victims And Reaction
Several families of people who died have expressed outrage that Law will not face murder trials, saying he should be held directly responsible for ending the lives of mostly young, vulnerable individuals. One of the deceased, Jeshennia Bedoya-Lopez, was 18 when she died in 2022. Her father, Leonardo Bedoya, told reporters in May that he found her body and called the decision to drop murder charges "a disgrace."
Remarks From Law
"I was just trying to serve a need that I thought was humane," Law reportedly told a psychiatrist in prison, according to court documents published by The Globe and Mail. He also said, "I'm not a diabolical madman."
In post-arrest interviews cited in court filings, Law said he viewed himself as blameless, arguing he did not make the final decision to end anyone's life and was merely providing a product.
Legal Process And Sentencing
Prosecutors dropped murder charges after determining they lacked the necessary evidence tied to his online forums, but legal experts say they are likely to seek a substantial sentence on the aiding-suicide counts — possibly up to 20 years in prison. Judge Michelle Fuerst has set aside four days at a court in Newmarket, north of Toronto, to hear victim-impact statements and other evidence before deciding a sentence. It is not yet clear when the judge will announce her decision.
Next Steps
Court hearings this week will give families a formal opportunity to tell the court how the deaths have affected them. Sentencing will weigh the scale of harm, Law’s level of culpability, and aggravating and mitigating factors presented by both sides.
Reporting note: Details in this article are drawn from court filings and media reports, including The Globe and Mail.
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