A photo of Kenneth Law is shown during a York Regional Police news conference in Mississauga, Aug. 29, 2023.Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press
The collapse of Canada’s murder case against Kenneth Law has devastated the families of his alleged victims, with one calling for greater accountability in Canada and for Mr. Law to be extradited to the United Kingdom to face charges there.
Mr. Law, a 61-year-old Mississauga man, was charged in 2023 and jailed on allegations he sold toxic salts through his online business to vulnerable people looking for a way to kill themselves. He was charged with 14 counts of aiding suicide and later, 14 counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Canadians.
When he was arrested, authorities said they believed Mr. Law had mailed 1,200 packages of the poison to recipients in 41 countries that he met in online suicide forums. Police believe 160 packages were distributed in Canada. Those that died were young adults.
Under the plea bargain agreement with Ontario prosecutors, Mr. Law is expected to plead guilty only to the lesser offence of assisting in the suicides of the 14 Canadians, his lawyer confirmed Saturday. Mr. Law appears in court on Monday.
The plea deal protects Mr. Law from a mandatory life sentence.
“If all you get is a little bit of jail time for causing this much devastation, it’s hardly a disincentive for people,” said David Parfett. His son Thomas, 22, died in 2021.
“Absolutely there needs to be a public inquiry.”
The British National Crime Agency has said 112 people died in the U.K. alone due to the nearly 300 poison packages shipped from Canada.
A courtroom sketch depicts Kenneth Law in court in Brampton, Ont., May 3, 2023.Alexandra Newbould/The Canadian Press
In an interview from his home west of London, Mr. Parfett said British authorities should bring charges for the deaths in that country. Charges against Mr. Law have never been laid abroad.
“I would like to see Law prosecuted for the death of my son,” Mr. Parfett said.
“This guy (Mr. Law) has allegedly sent a loaded gun in the post to multiple people worldwide. . . Not prosecuting him for the murder charges is, to me, inexplicable.”
Leonardo Bedoya, whose 18-year-old daughter was among the 14 people Mr. Law is accused of helping to kill in Canada, said dropping the murder charges is “a disgrace for the victims” and “it won’t bring justice.”
His daughter, Jeshenia Bedoya-Lopez, died in 2022 after allegedly receiving a package of poison from Mr. Law.
Ontario’s Ministry of the Attorney General did not respond to a request for comment on the plea deal.
One victim’s family member told The Globe and Mail that they were told by Crown representatives that prosecutors can no longer pursue murder charges because a recent Supreme Court ruling in an unrelated case made those charges untenable. The Globe is not identifying the familly member because they said they do not want to interfere in the judicial process.
Last December, the Supreme Court of Canada declined to clarify when murder charges can be laid against people who provoke apparent suicides.
The Supreme Court’s decision not to weigh in left an Ontario Court of Appeal decision on the matter untouched, a decision that Crown prosecutors in that case said “introduced significant limitations on the potential liability of those who engage in actions that assist a suicide.”
How Media questions spurred criminal investigation into Kenneth Law
Mr. Law’s case is to return to the Ontario Superior Court in Newmarket on Monday. The short, virtual proceeding will set up his guilty plea and sentencing hearings.
His lawyer, Matthew Gourlay, would not say whether other countries might try to prosecute Mr. Law once he is sentenced in Canada.
“I’m unable to comment on the extradition issue,” he said.
Each charge of aiding suicide carries a potential 14-year maximum sentence upon conviction.
In Canada, judges who convict an accused on multiple charges usually rule that prison sentences should be served at the same time, and not be stacked atop each other.
But some legal experts with no involvement in Mr. Law’s case, say that stacking remains possible.
“I see no reason why it can’t be a consecutive sentence on each count,” lawyer Tim Danson said. “And it could be a very heavy sentence.”
A Canadian court could also potentially consider at sentencing Mr. Law’s conduct affecting people in jurisdictions outside Ontario, Adam Weisburg, president of Canada’s Criminal Lawyers’ Association said.
“There would be a strong public benefit for Kenneth Law to take responsibility for the conduct affecting the victims globally and to receive a harsher sentence in Canada.”
In an email to The Globe he said this “would bring finality for all of the victims rather than delaying justice.”