EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes a discussion of suicide.
New Zealand authorities are tying the deaths of four people to Kenneth Law, an Ontario man accused of aiding suicide through the online sale of chemicals.
Law, 58, is charged with 14 counts of both first-degree murder as well as counselling and aiding suicide in Ontario. His lawyer has said Law would plead not guilty.
Investigators have alleged that Law ran several websites that were used to sell sodium nitrite and other items that can be used for self-harm, shipping them to people in more than 40 countries.
On Monday, authorities in New Zealand released four coroner reports to Global News which they alleged are linked to Law.
“The Suicide Prevention Office has taken steps to consult with New Zealand Internet Service Providers to request that access to Mr. Law’s website is blocked,” three of the reports read in part.
Deaths occurred between 2022 and 2023
The four people who died by suicide were two students, ages 18 and 21, a 21-year-old woman and a 40-year-old personal trainer. New Zealand law restricts making public the method of death in these cases, though allows them to be referred to as deaths by suicide.
Those corner reports state there was either physical evidence from Law’s packages present when their bodies were found, or proof they had communicated with Law.
Investigators have alleged Law operated several websites selling sodium nitrite — a substance which can be lethal in large doses.
Get daily Toronto news
Sodium nitrite is a white, crystalline substance used as a food additive and typically found in processed meats. Intentional consumption of excessive amounts of this substance can reduce oxygen levels, impair breathing and result in death.
Peel Regional Police, the force leading the investigation in Ontario, believe more than 1,200 packages were sent out to 40 countries globally and around 160 packages were sent across Canada alone. Authorities in the U.K., United States, Italy and Australia have launched investigations.
Worldwide, Law may be connected with at least 129 deaths by suicide.
In Ontario, he faces a total of 28 charges. The victims in Ontario were both male and female and between the ages of 16 and 36 years old, and Peel police said more than one victim was under the age of 18.
Police have alleged packages from the following companies are connected to Law: Imtime Cuisine, AmbuCA, Academic/ACademic, Escape Mode/escMode and ICemac.
Who is Kenneth Law?
Law is a former chef who lived in Mississauga, Ont. He currently remains behind bars awaiting trial.
The story begins in October 2022, when a U.K. coroner’s report, which was looking into the April death by suicide of a woman in Surrey, listed a postal box in Mississauga and website linked to a Canadian man.
In March 2023, Peel police announced an investigation into the sudden death of a resident believed to have consumed a chemical substance.
The following month, the Times of London published an investigation into Law. He was arrested and charged by Peel Regional Police in May.
In January, prosecutors in Law’s case said the attorney general had decided to proceed by direct indictment, sending the case directly to trial in Superior Court without a preliminary inquiry.
A preliminary inquiry is typically used to determine whether the Crown has assembled enough evidence against an accused to proceed to trial.
His trial is expected to begin in September.
If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help, resources are available. In case of an emergency, please call 911 for immediate help, For immediate mental health support, call 988. For a directory of support services in your area, visit the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention at suicideprevention.ca. Learn more about preventing suicide with these warning signs and tips on how to help.
— with files from Sean O’Shea