TORONTO (AP) — Families of people who died after buying lethal products from a Canadian online seller investigated in connection with more than 100 deaths worldwide described lives shattered by grief Wednesday as he faced sentencing for aiding 14 suicides.
Kenneth Law, a former chef from Mississauga, Ontario, pleaded guilty in May to 14 counts of counseling or aiding suicide involving people ages 16 to 36. He sent about 1,200 packages to more than
40 countries, and prosecutors say 79 deaths in the United Kingdom will also be considered at sentencing.
Police in Canada and around the world have been investigating more than 100 suicides linked to Law. The charges against him in the Canadian court are related to 14 people across Ontario who were between the ages of 16 and 36.
Canadian police said Law used a series of websites to market and sell sodium nitrite, a substance commonly used to cure meats that can be deadly if ingested.
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. The U.S. suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org. In the U.K., the Samaritans can be reached at 116 123 or www.samaritans.org.
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The parents of 18-year-old Jeshennia Bedoya-Lopez described a permanent void after losing their only daughter.
Leonardo Bedoya Forero said he often feels on the verge of collapsing under the weight of his grief and watching his wife struggle with the same loss.
“As a father and as a husband, the powerlessness is devastating,” he said in a victim impact statement read by a prosecutor. “I couldn’t save my daughter from what happened. I can’t erase my wife’s pain. I can’t erase my own.”
The court is expected to hear 74 victim impact statements over several days.
Stephen Mitchell Sr. said Law deprived his 21-year-old son of the chance to recover from depression.
“Stephen Mitchell Jr. once had dreams for a future and to have meaning in his life,” he said. “That is all gone now, but you, Mr. Law, are still here.”
The court also heard from Elisabeth Belien of the United Kingdom, who survived after consuming a substance she bought from Law while struggling with her mental health.
“Kenneth Law’s actions made it a lot easier for me to act on that despair,” she said.
Prosecutors have agreed to withdraw 14 first-degree murder charges after Law is sentenced. Those convicted of aiding suicide in Canada can face up to 14 years in prison. He has been in custody since his arrest at his Mississauga, Ontario, home in May 2023.
The hearing this week is devoted to victim impact statements. Lawyers are scheduled to make sentencing arguments Nov. 27, with Law’s sentence expected to be imposed sometime afterward.
Prosecutors in the U.K. decided not to charge Law or apply for his extradition despite investigating him over 112 deaths. The decision comes in part because British authorities believe he would be able to challenge a U.K. prosecution under “double jeopardy” laws that prevent a suspect being tried twice for the same crime.
