anadian man to avoid murder trial with plea deal

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.



Kenneth Law, 60, will plead guilty to counseling or aiding suicide under a deal with Crown prosecutors that will see more serious first-degree murder charges withdrawn.



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.



Ontario’s Ministry of the Attorney General didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.



Law is facing 14 counts of first-degree murder and 14 counts of counseling or aiding suicide related to 14 victims, all Ontario residents between the ages of 16 and 36 who died by suicide.



Canadian 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.