Suicide kit distributor will have murder charges dropped in plea deal

Kenneth Law, an Ontario man who was arrested for selling over 1,200 suicide kits online, has agreed to plead guilty in exchange for the charges of murder against him being dropped.

Key Takeaways:

• In 2023, Law was arrested for selling over 1,200 suicide kits to individuals in 40 countries.

• He is estimated to have caused 130 deaths around the world, and was facing 14 murder charges in Ontario.

• Law's attorneys argued that assisted suicide is not murder, and therefore, he should not face murder charges.

• He has agreed to plead guilty to counseling or aiding suicide in exchange for prosecutors dropping the murder charges.

The Details:

Nearly two years after Law's attorneys argued that he should not be charged with murder, a plea deal has been reached. Law has agreed to plead guilty to counseling or aiding suicide; in exchange, prosecutors will drop all 14 murder charges against him.

Under the Canadian Criminal Code, abetting suicide carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. A murder conviction carries an automatic sentence of life in prison, with no chance of parole before 25 years.

“The plea will be to the charges of aiding suicide,” lawyer Matthew Gourley confirmed in an e-mail to the Associated Press.

The Backstory:

In 2023, Law was arrested for selling over 1,200 suicide kits online to people around the world. His kits consisted of sodium nitrate, flow regulators, and gas masks. He also provided instructions to the buyer on how best to use them in order to ensure death. It is believed that he is responsible for at least 130 deaths, with his victims ranging in age from 16 to 36.

In conversations with an undercover investigator, he boasted, “It will be literally in the hundreds. And they’ve all received it. We have had many, many customers in the UK who have purchased it.”

He also bragged that “many, many, many, many” people had died from his suicide kits, and that he was doing "God's work" by mailing the kits out.

In previous interviews, two mothers of his victims strongly disagreed that Law was doing good work.

“This trial is monumental in so many ways,” Kelli Wilson said. “These sites sell to vulnerable people. It’s aiding and abetting suicide, which is akin to murder. Law weaponized mentally ill people against themselves, and that can’t be allowed to continue. It’s a no-brainer. He needs to be held accountable for what he’s (allegedly) done. And the lawmakers, as well – they’ve facilitated these havens for crime.”

Catherine Adenekan added, “What he’s (allegedly) done is one of the worst things you could possibly do.”

Philip Nitschke, the notorious assisted suicide activist, praised Law's actions, however. “It’s a fundamental human right,” Nitschke said. “Kenneth was being a little unrestrictive. Elderly people have this idea that they should have a right to access the substances, but they’re not terribly sympathetic to the idea of teenagers going out there and buying a substance ... He’s helped them achieve their goals. We’re watching this trial with great interest.”

The Bottom Line:

Suicide is not something to be celebrated or aided, regardless of the status of the person. And helping someone to die and calling it assisted suicide rather than murder doesn't change the reality of what was done: a life was taken, no matter what authorities decide to call it.