Former Canadian chef Kenneth Law accused of selling suicide kits faces 14 counts of murder

Sarah Al-Arshani, USA TODAY
Updated ·1 min read

If you or someone you know may be struggling with suicidal thoughts, dial 988 to reach someone with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. They're available 24 hours a day and provide services in multiple languages.

A former Canadian chef accused of selling poisonous gas suicide kits has been charged with 14 counts of murder related to suicides, CBS News reported.

Kenneth Law is accused of targeting vulnerable people and marketing packages of masks and sodium nitrite online. While sodium nitrite is a food additive, it can also be deadly if it's misused. Police in Canada arrested Law in May. An investigation into his actions spans across 11 police agencies in Ontario.

The new charges against Kenneth Law are on top of previous charges against him in connection to his scheme, the BBC reported. He faces a total of 28 charges: 14 counts of aiding and counselling suicide and 14 counts of second-degree murder. The charges are related to 14 victims between the ages of 16 and 36, in Ontario, CBS News reported.

Gruesome discovery: NJ man accused of decapitating his mother, sang 'Jesus Loves Me' during arrest: Police

Kenneth Law faces murder charges in connection to suicide kit sales

Since 2020, Law allegedly sold as many as 1,200 of these deadly packages to people in 40 countries.

According to the BBC, The National Crime Agency is investigating after 272 packages were shipped to the United Kingdom. The packages are linked to the deaths of 90 people. However, the NCA could not confirm if the sodium nitrite was the cause of death in each case.

"This investigation will explore viable leads that help us identify evidence of crimes committed in the UK or against its citizens," an NCA spokesperson told the BBC.

Several other countries beyond Canada have launched investigations into Law, after they were informed by Interpol.

Law's lawyer, Matthew Gourlay, told the BBC that his client plans to plead not guilty.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Suicide kits: Chef charged with murder after people bought kits online