British police believe the chef accused of selling 1,200 packets of poison to people with suicidal thoughts posed as a doctor on a forum for people in mental health crises and then directed them to his online store.
Kenneth Law is accused of creating an account on the forum and calling himself ‘Greenberg’, then posing as a retired New York medical examiner.
According to a shocking new report from The times, Four relatives of those to whom Law sold poison had contacted the mysterious Greenberg online.
Law, 57, was originally charged with 14 counts of second-degree murder in December after he allegedly sold 1,200 packages of lethal substances online to people in 40 countries between late 2020 and April 2023.
In January, his attorney, Matthew Gourlay, confirmed that the charges had been upgraded to first-degree murder.
The so-called merchant of death has been charged with a total of 28 crimes involving 14 victims in Ontario, but has been linked to the deaths of 124 around the world, including 93 in Britain.
Poison seller Kenneth Law linked to the deaths of 124 people, including 93 Britons.
Tom Parfett, 22, was a British university student who liked to watch football and was passionate about Lego. He supposedly died after buying a lethal substance from Law
Imogen Nunn, 25, known as Deaf Immy on the social media platform TikTok, where she raised hearing and mental health issues, reportedly died after Kenneth Law sent her the kit.
Although advocates of euthanasia often describe it as a merciful release for the elderly and infirm, Law’s alleged victims were young, aged between 16 and 36, and far from terminally ill. In the photo: Neha Raju, 22 years old.
In Britain, Tom Parfett, 22, Michael Dunham, 38, Neha Raju, 23, Imogen Nunn, 25, and a 21-year-old student reportedly died after purchasing products from Law’s company.
Anthony Jones, a 17-year-old from Michigan, was also one of Law’s alleged victims.
“It was 3 a.m. and he ran into his mother’s room, screaming and begging for emergency services to be called,” New York lawyer Carrie Goldberg told CTV News Toronto.
He ran towards his mother shouting ‘I want to live’ after ingesting the substance, which ultimately killed him, the initial investigation revealed.
One person who survived ingesting Law’s poison, Emma Morrison, 23, from Scotland, said Greenberg’s character gave her the chef’s website address three times.
Morrison told The Times: “I wanted to know when it arrived and when I had taken it.” She told the newspaper that she survived after she was rushed to the hospital and given the antidote.
“I think Greenberg and Law are the same person,” he added.
Since taking the poison in August 2021, Morrison said her mental health is improving and she is no longer active on the forum.
The Times goes on to report that Law’s website went live the same day Greenberg posted about it on the forum.
Kenneth Law appears in court in Brampton, Ontario on Wednesday, May 3, 2023
Law charged $59 (£47), not including shipping, for a packet of the compound, labeled “99.999 per cent pure”, used in most of the deaths.
‘I found a new source in Canada. PM me (personal message) if you like the link,” Greenberg wrote.
Greenberg shared similar interests to Law, including food and Star Trek. He and Law also used the same signature in online messages, “Greetings.”
Law denied the Times allegation in 2023.
Additionally, Greenberg was also behind a pro-suicide blog. One day after Law’s operation was made public, in April 2023, Google, owner of the blogging software used by Greenberg, deleted the account.
Google has declined to comment on the connection.
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 12 more charges of counseling or assisting suicide.
Outside Canada, the National Crime Agency said it launched its own investigation into the deaths of 93 people in the United Kingdom who bought substances online to assist suicide.
In total, 288 people in the UK were identified as having allegedly purchased products from the websites over a two-year period to April 2023.
Initially, the NCA said it had only identified 272 people, of whom 88 had died, but they have since raised their estimates.
An NCA spokesperson said: “We are investigating possible criminal offenses relating to the deaths of 93 people who purchased substances to assist with suicide on these websites.”
‘Following the initial list of 272 people, we recently received further information from Canadian authorities regarding a further 16 purchases made in the UK during the same period. Of them, unfortunately three had died in the meantime.’
Law’s alleged victims included teenagers and young adults in their 20s and 30s.
Berkshire-born Tom Parfett’s father said: “I think my son would still be alive if it weren’t for this man and this substance.”
A mother whose 20-year-old daughter was also poisoned after she bought a substance from Law told police about him months before he was charged.
The woman, who has not been identified, emailed the Metropolitan Police’s chemical reporting team in August 2021 after her daughter bought a lethal substance from Law and took her own life, according to The Times.
The mother, who was allegedly told by the Met that they would alert the Home Office, criticized the force. She told The Times: ‘I’m disappointed they haven’t taken this further. They did nothing and more people died. Thats false.’
The woman said her daughter purchased a substance from Law a month before his death on July 15, 2021.
He even messaged the chef himself after his death and begged him to stop selling the lethal substance.
The mother then emailed the chemical reporting team, a counter-terrorism unit at the Met, on August 17, telling them that her daughter had taken a substance from Law’s company.
His email said: “I would appreciate it if you could stop this substance from clearing customs and entering the country, especially in large quantities and especially to people who do not own a business that deals in food.”
‘I cannot express how heartbroken I am that my 20-year-old daughter has died due to the ease of obtaining this substance.
“I would hate for anyone else to suffer the pain that I am suffering.”
The unit responded by saying they were “aware of similar tragic circumstances” surrounding the substance. However, they added that it was legal to buy in the UK.
He said he would pass the mother’s email “to the relevant team at the Home Office” and stressed that he was “taking the issue… very seriously.”
Law, of Mississauga, Ontario, is also being investigated by police in the United States, Italy, Australia and New Zealand.
- For confidential assistance, call Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details