Ex-chef who supplied poison for suicides to avoid murder charges

Crime Former chef who supplied poison for suicides to avoid murder charges, angering families May 27, 2026 / 7:39 AM EDT / CBS/AFP Add CBS News on Google A Canadian man accused of shipping poison to people contemplating suicide around the globe is expected to plead guilty to several counts on Friday, ending a case that has shocked the public.While Kenneth Law is set to admit to 14 charges of aiding or counseling suicide, Canadian prosecutors are withdrawing second degree murder charges, multiple sources have confirmed, causing anger among devastated families. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation first reported the plea. Law, 60, is a former chef accused of running a number of online forums that offered predominantly young, distressed people advice on how to end their lives.He allegedly shipped parcels to hundreds of people in dozens of countries containing sodium nitrite, a legally available preservative that can be fatal in certain concentrations. In 2023, Canadian police released photos of the sodium nitrite, adding that a joint operation led by 11 police agencies from across Ontario were investigating the case."Investigators are asking members of the community to be alert of any packaging or label identifying sodium nitrite," Constable Sarah Patten said at the time. Britain's National Crime Agency said it has identified 232 people in the U.K. who bought products from the websites in the two years up until April 2023. Of those purchasers, 88 had died.Kim Prosser's son Ashtyn took his own life in March 2023, weeks before Law's arrest. It is one of the 14 Canadian deaths at issue in the case being heard in Newmarket, just north of Toronto. Prosser told AFP prosecutors had informed her that Law will plead guilty to counseling suicide, with the murder charges dropped, information also shared with Canadian media by Law's defense lawyer Matthew Gourlay.The office of Ontario's attorney general told AFP Law will appear in person on Friday "to tak...