Canadian Seller Linked to Over 100 Suicides Faces Sentencing as Families Describe Grief
Families of victims described shattered lives as Kenneth Law, a former chef who sold lethal products online, faces sentencing for aiding 14 suicides in Ontario.
TORONTO — Families of people who died after purchasing lethal products from a Canadian online seller described lives torn apart by grief on Wednesday, as the man at the centre of a global investigation faced sentencing for aiding 14 suicides.
Kenneth Law, a former chef from Mississauga, Ontario, pleaded guilty in May to 14 counts of counselling or aiding suicide involving people aged 16 to 36. He sent approximately 1,200 packages to more than 40 countries, and prosecutors say 79 deaths in the United Kingdom will also be considered during sentencing.
Police in Canada and abroad have been investigating more than 100 suicides linked to Law. The Canadian charges relate to 14 individuals across Ontario.
According to Canadian police, 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.
The court is expected to hear 74 victim impact statements over several days. On Wednesday, the parents of 18-year-old Jeshennia Bedoya-Lopez spoke of 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."
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. Law has been in custody since his arrest at his Mississauga home in May 2023.
This week's hearing is devoted to victim impact statements. Lawyers are scheduled to make sentencing arguments on 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.
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.