VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — A Canadian man is charged with murder alleged online sale of deadly substances People at risk of harming themselves have agreed to plead guilty to 14 counts of counseling or assisting suicide, his lawyer said on Saturday.
In return, Canadian prosecutors will withdraw all 14 murder charges against Kenneth Law, lawyer Matthew Gourlay told The Associated Press in an email.
“The plea will focus on the allegation of assisted suicide,” he said in an email. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation first reported the lawsuit.
Law will appear virtually in a court in Newmarket, Ont., via Zoom on Monday afternoon to schedule further appointments, Gourlay said. The plea and sentencing will take place at a later date.
Calls to the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General were not immediately returned.
According to Canadian police, Law, of the Toronto area, used a number of websites to market and sell sodium nitrite, a substance commonly used to cure meat and which can be fatal if consumed. It is said that he is suspected of having sent at least 1,200 packages to more than 40 countries.
Authorities in the USA, Great Britain, Italy, Australia and New Zealand have also launched investigations.
In Canada, it is illegal to advise someone to commit suicide, although assisted suicide has been legal for people aged 18 and over since 2016. Any adult with a serious illness, disease or disability can seek euthanasia, but must seek assistance from a doctor.
Law has been in custody since his arrest at his home in Mississauga, Ontario, in May 2023.
Under the Canadian Criminal Code, the maximum sentence for assisted suicide is 14 years. A murder conviction means an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for at least 25 years.
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Associated Press writer Rob Gillies reported from San Francisco.