Poison seller Kenneth Law, who has been linked to the deaths of 93 Britons, has been charged with first-degree murder.
Law, 57, was originally charged in December with 14 counts of murder after allegedly selling 1,200 packets of deadly substances online to people in 40 countries between late 2020 and April 2023.
But now his lawyer, Matthew Gourlay, confirmed that the charge has been upgraded to first-degree murder, according to The Times.
Law will appear in court in Canada next week and will plead not guilty to the charges, Gourlay said. If found guilty, he faces an automatic life sentence.
The so-called merchant of death has been charged with a total of 28 crimes involving 14 victims in Ontario, but he has been linked to the deaths of 124 people worldwide, including the 93 in Britain.
Poison seller Kenneth Law who has been linked to the deaths of 124 people, including 93 Britons
Kenneth Law will appear in court in Brampton, Ontario on Wednesday, May 3, 2023
Law was arrested in Ontario, US, in May this year and was initially charged with two counts of counseling and assisting suicide. In August, he received another 12 charges of counseling or assisting suicide.
Outside Canada, the National Crime Agency said it has launched its own investigation into the deaths of 93 people in Britain who bought drugs online to assist with suicide.
A total of 288 individuals in Britain were identified who allegedly purchased products from the websites over a two-year period ending in April 2023.
Initially the NCA said it had identified only 272 people, of which 88 had died, but they have since increased their estimates.
An NCA spokesperson said: ‘We are investigating possible criminal offenses linked to the deaths of 93 people who purchased substances to assist suicide through these websites.
‘Following the initial list of 272 individuals, we have recently received further information from Canadian authorities regarding a further 16 purchases in Britain made during the same period. Unfortunately, three of them had died in the intervening time.’
Law’s alleged victims included teenagers and young adults in their 20s and 30s.
Anthony Jones, a 17-year-old from Michigan, was one of Law’s alleged victims.
“It was 3 a.m. and he ran into his mother’s room, screaming and begging to call 911,” New York attorney Carrie Goldberg told CTV News Toronto.
He ran to his mother and shouted “I want to live” after taking the substance, which ultimately killed him, the initial investigation found.
In Britain, Tom Parfett, 22, Michael Dunham, 38, Neha Raju, 23, Imogen Nunn, 25, and a 21-year-old student are said to have died after purchasing products from Law’s company.
Anthony Jones, a 17-year-old from Michigan, was one of Law’s alleged victims. His mother said he died after consuming sodium nitrite that he bought online
Tom Parfett, 22, was a British university student who enjoyed watching football and had a passion for Lego. He reportedly died after purchasing a deadly substance from Law
Imogen Nunn, 25, known as Deaf Immy on social media platform TikTok, where she raised hearing and mental health issues, is said to have died after Kenneth Law was sent the package.
Berkshire-born Mr Parfett’s father said: ‘I believe my son would still be alive if it had not been for this man and this substance.’
A mother whose 20-year-old daughter was also poisoned after buying a drug from Law told British police months before he was charged.
The woman, who has not been named, emailed the Metropolitan Police’s chemical reporting team in August 2021 after losing her daughter who bought a deadly substance from Law and later committed suicide, according to The Times.
The mother, who was reportedly told by US police that they would alert the Ministry of the Interior, criticized the police. She told The Times: ‘I’m disgusted that they haven’t taken this further. They did nothing and more people died. It’s a sham.’
The woman said her daughter had purchased a drug from Law a month before her death on July 15, 2021.
She even messaged the chef himself after her death, begging him to stop selling the deadly substance.
The mother then sent an email to the Met’s chemical reporting team, a counterterrosim unit, on August 17, telling them her daughter had taken a drug from Law’s company.
Her email said: ‘I would appreciate it if you could please prevent this substance from entering the country through customs, especially in large quantities and especially to individuals who do not own a business dealing with food .
“I can’t tell you how heartbroken I am that my 20-year-old daughter died because I was able to get this drug so easily.
“I would hate it if anyone else suffered the pain I suffer.”
The unit responded that they were “aware of similar tragic circumstances” surrounding the substance. However, they added that it was legal to buy in Britain.
It said it would pass on the mother’s email “to the relevant Home Office team” and stressed it was “taking the matter…very seriously”.
Law, from Mississauga, Ontario, is also being investigated by police in the United States, Italy, Australia and New Zealand.