A former Canadian chef accused of selling suicide kits that lead to deaths in several countries was charged on Monday with 14 counts of murder related to suicides in Canada as a result of his online scheme.
The new charges against former engineer and chef Kenneth Law were filed in Newmarket Court on Monday, and appear to describe new allegations in the same deaths where Law had already been charged with aiding and abetting suicide.
Police in Canada have warned about websites allegedly run by Law, and at the time of his arrest earlier this year said they had tracked some 1,200 products to 40 countries.
Law was arrested in May for marketing masks and sodium nitrite, a substance that is used as a food additive but can kill if misused. In June, Canadian police released photos of the sodium nitrate, adding that a joint operation led by 11 police agencies from across Ontario were investigating the case.
Law is said to have targeted vulnerable people online. Since 2020, he is believed to have distributed up to 1,200 items to recipients in over 40 countries.
The media will be briefed by Toronto police on the fresh charges on Tuesday.
According to British authorities, at least 272 people bought items from Law’s websites, and 88 of them passed away.
Following an Interpol alert, investigations have been opened in a number of other nations, including Italy and New Zealand, where nine buyers have been identified and one victim has passed away.
Law, once a chef at Toronto’s Royal York Hotel, has said that he’s not responsible for what people do with his products and has denied the charges. He remains in custody.
