NewzNEWMARKET, Canada (AFP) — Relatives of people who committed suicide using poison sold by a Canadian man gave wrenching accounts of pain and loss Wednesday in court before a judge tasked with deciding the former chef's prison term. Kenneth Law pleaded guilty in May to aiding in the suicide of 14 people in Canada after prosecutors determined they lacked evidence to convict him of murder over his online forums where he advised people on how to end their lives. Law has admitted that he proactively looked for customers, appearing on a suicide discussion forum under a pseudonym, and made fatal substances available for purchase.
"I cannot stop thinking that my little girl will never come back," Maria Lopez, the mother of Jeshennia Bedoya-Lopez, who died in 2022 at the age of 18, said in a statement read out Wednesday by prosecutors. The girl's father Leonardo added: "The future we had imagined as a family disappeared." Like these parents, dozens of other people who lost a loved one to products sold by Law will make statements over the next few days in the courthouse in Newmarket, near Toronto. Law sold poison to people in at least 41 countries, including China, France and Brazil.
He sold 330 packages to people in the United Kingdom, according to an agreed statement of facts signed by the defence and prosecution. Several impacted families voiced anger that Law would not face trial for murder, arguing he should be held directly responsible for prematurely ending the lives of mostly young, vulnerable people. Despite dropping the murder charges, prosecutors are still expected to seek a stiff sentence for aiding suicides, possibly as long as 20 years, legal experts have said.
"I'm no longer the same person I was before my brother died. Grief is now part of everything I do," Adrienne Ryan, the sister of Maurizio Vadala, said in court as her voice choked with grief. A man named Stephen Mitchell spoke of the pain of losing his son, Stephen Jr to suicide.
"My son was a depressed, vulnerable, and sometimes immature youth. He was ill, and he needed help," Mitchell said. "Mr Law robbed my son of that chance to be healed." Judge Michelle Fuerst has allocated four days to hear victim impact statements and other evidence before determining sentencing.
It is not immediately clear when Fuerst will decide on the sentence. Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper published details earlier …
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