Canadian man Kenneth Law to plead guilty in suicide kit case to avoid murder trial

A Canadian man accused of helping 14 ⁠people in the province ⁠of Ontario kill themselves by selling a ⁠legal but deadly substance online will avoid a murder trial by pleading guilty to lesser charges, his lawyer said on Saturday.Kenneth Law, 60, will plead guilty to counselling or aiding suicide under a deal with Crown prosecutors that will see more serious ‌first-degree murder charges withdrawn, Matthew Gourlay of Henein Hutchison Robitaille said in an email.Law’s case is scheduled to return to court in Newmarket, Ontario, north of Toronto, on Monday. His plea will be entered at a later date, Gourlay said.Gourlay declined further comment. Ontario’s Ministry of the Attorney General did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Law is facing 14 counts of ⁠first-degree murder and 14 counts of counselling or aiding suicide related to 14 victims, all Ontario residents between ‌the ages of 16 and 36 who died by suicide.York Regional Police Inspector Simon James speaks during a news conference on Kenneth Law’s case in Mississauga, Ontario, in August 2023. Photo: The Canadian Press via APCanadian police allege Law, a former cook at a Toronto hotel, operated several websites starting around ‌2020 through which he marketed and sold a toxic salt and other items, including masks ⁠and hoods, that could ⁠be used for self-harm.