Canadian faces 14 murder charges for selling suicide kits

OTTAWA, Canada — A former Canadian chef accused of selling suicide kits that lead to deaths in several countries was charged Monday with 14 counts of murder related to suicides in Canada as a result of his online scheme.

The charges filed against Kenneth Law, 58, are on top of 14 he already faces for allegedly "counseling or aiding" suicides across Ontario province, according to documents.

His defense lawyer Matthew Gourlay also confirmed to AFP that Law has been charged with 14 new counts of second degree murder.

Law was arrested in May for marketing a substance that is used as a food additive but can kill if misused. He is said to have targeted vulnerable people online.

He is believed to have sent as many as 1,200 packages to people in more than 40 countries since 2020.

Toronto police are scheduled to brief the media on the new charges Tuesday.

In Britain, at least 272 people purchased products from Law's websites and 88 of them died, police there have said. 

Alerted by Interpol, several other countries have launched investigations, including New Zealand and Italy, where nine buyers have been identified and one victim has died.

The Canadian victims were both male and female between the ages of 16 an 36, according to police.

If you or someone you know needs help, the National Center for Mental Health Crisis Hotline can be reached through the following hotlines: toll-free Luzon-wide landline (1553), Globe/TM (0966-351-4518 and 0917-899-8727), or Smart/Sun/TNT (0908-639-2672).