A Canadian man facing 14 murder charges has agreed to plead guilty to 14 counts of aiding suicide, his lawyer said Friday. Kenneth Law, from the Toronto area, allegedly sold sodium nitrite online to people at risk of self-harm. Under the plea agreement, Canadian prosecutors will withdraw the murder charges.

The case highlights a legal distinction between murder and aiding suicide that shapes Canada’s regulation of lethal substances. While assisted suicide through physician assistance has been legal in Canada since 2016 for eligible adults, the law prosecutes those who recommend or facilitate suicide outside that framework.

Plea Agreement Ends Murder Charges

Kenneth Law, a Canadian man accused of selling a deadly substance online, will plead guilty to aiding suicide rather than face 14 murder charges. His lawyer, Matthew Gourlay, confirmed the agreement Friday, saying prosecutors would withdraw the murder counts in exchange for guilty pleas to 14 counts of counseling or aiding suicide.

“The plea will be to the charges of aiding suicide,” Gourlay said in an email.

Law will appear virtually before a Newmarket, Ontario court on Monday afternoon for scheduling purposes. The actual plea and sentencing are scheduled for later dates.

Scale of the Operation

Canadian police say Law, from the Toronto area, used a series of websites to market and sell sodium nitrite—a substance commonly used to cure meats that can be deadly if ingested. They say he sent at least 1,200 packages to more than 40 countries.

Law has been in custody since his arrest at his Mississauga, Ontario home in May 2023.

Authorities in the United States, Britain, Italy, Australia, and New Zealand have launched investigations into Law’s conduct.

The plea agreement reflects a legal distinction in Canada’s approach to end-of-life matters. Assisted suicide has been legal in Canada since 2016 for adults aged 18 and older with a serious illness, disease, or disability who seek help from a physician. However, it remains illegal to recommend or facilitate suicide outside that framework.

Under Canadian law, aiding suicide carries a maximum sentence of 14 years. By contrast, a murder conviction automatically results in life in prison with no possibility of parole for at least 25 years. The plea agreement allows Law to avoid the possibility of a mandatory life sentence.