British police believe that the chef accused of selling 1,200 packages of poison to people with suicidal thoughts posed as a doctor on a forum for people experiencing mental health crisis and then directed them to his online shop.
Kenneth Law is accused of setting up an account on the forum and naming himself ‘Greenberg,’ then posing as a retired New York medical examiner.
According to a shocking new report from The Times, four relatives of those who were sold poison by Law had made contact with 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 on the internet to people in 40 countries between late 2020 and April 2023.
In January, his lawyer, Matthew Gourlay, confirmed the charges have been upgraded to first-degree murder.
The so-called merchant of death has been charged with a total of 28 offences relating to 14 victims in Ontario, but he is linked to the deaths of 124 worldwide, including the 93 in Britain.
Poison seller Kenneth Law who is linked to the deaths of 124 people including 93 Brits
Tom Parfett, 22, was a British university student who enjoyed watching soccer and had a passion for Lego. He allegedly died after buying a lethal substance from Law
Imogen Nunn, 25, known as Deaf Immy on the TikTok social media platform, where she raised hearing and mental health issues, allegedly died after being sent the kit by Kenneth Law.
Although proponents of euthanasia often portray it as a merciful release for the elderly and infirm, Law’s alleged victims were young, ranging in age from just 16 to 36 and very far from terminally ill. Pictured: Neha Raju, 22
In Britain, Tom Parfett, 22, Michael Dunham, 38, Neha Raju, 23, Imogen Nunn, 25, and a 21-year-old student allegedly died after buying 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 went running into his mom’s room, screaming and begging to call emergency responders,’ New York lawyer Carrie Goldberg told CTV News Toronto.
He ran to his mother shouting ‘I want to live’ after ingesting the substance, which eventually killed him, the initial investigation revealed.
One person who survived ingesting Law’s poison, Emma Morrison, 23, from Scotland, said that the Greenberg character gave her the chef’s website address three times.
Morrison told The Times: ‘He wanted to know when it arrived and when I’d taken it.’ She told the newspaper that she survived after being rushed to hospital and was given the antidote.
‘I think Greenberg and Law are the same person,’ she added.
Since taking the poison in August 2021, Morrison said that her mental health is getting better and that she’s no longer active on the forum.
The Times goes on to report that Law’s website became active on the same day that 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 postage, for a packet of the compound — labelled ‘99.999 percent pure’ — used in most of the deaths
‘I came across a new source in Canada. PM (personal message) me 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 sign off in online messages, ‘Cheers.’
Law denied The Times’ allegation in 2023.
In addition, Greenberg was also behind a pro-suicide blog. A day after Law’s operation was made public, in April 2023, Google, which owns the blogging software used by Greenberg, deleted the account.
Google has refused to comment on the connection.
Law was arrested in Ontario, US, in May this year and was initially charged with two counts of counselling and aiding suicide. In August, he received a further 12 charges of counselling or aiding suicide.
Outside Canada, the National Crime Agency said it launched its own probe into the deaths of 93 people in the UK who bought substances online to assist with suicide.
In total, 288 individuals in the UK were identified as allegedly having purchased products from the websites over a two-year period up to April 2023.
Initially the NCA said it had only identified 272 individuals, of which 88 had died, however they have since increased their estimates.
An NCA spokesman said: ‘We are investigating potential criminal offences linked to the deaths of 93 individuals who purchased substances to assist with suicide from these websites.
‘Following the initial list of 272 individuals, we recently received further intelligence from Canadian authorities relating to another 16 UK-based purchases made during the same period. Of those, three had sadly died in the intervening time.’
Law’s alleged victims included teenagers and young adults in their 20s and 30s.
The father of Berkshire born Tom Parfett said: ‘I believe my son would still be alive if it wasn’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 named, 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 reportedly told by the Met that they would alert the Home Office, criticised the force. She told The Times: ‘I’m disgusted that they did not take this further. They didn’t do anything and more people died. It’s a sham.’
The woman said her daughter bought a substance from Law a month before her death on July 15, 2021.
She even messaged the chef himself following her death and pleaded with him to stop selling the lethal substance.
The mother then emailed the chemical reporting team, a Met counter-terrrisim unit, on August 17, telling them that her daughter had taken a substance from Law’s company.
Her email said: ‘I would be grateful if you could please stop this substance from getting past customs and into the country, especially in large amounts and especially to individuals who don’t own a company dealing with food.
‘I cannot tell you how heartbroken I am that my 20-year-old daughter has passed away because of the easiness of being able to get this substance.
‘I would hate anyone else to suffer the pain I am suffering.’
The unit replied saying that they were ‘aware of similar tragic circumstances’ surrounding the substance. However, they added that it was legal to buy in the UK.
It said that it would pass the mother’s email ‘onto the relevant team at the Home Office’ and highlighted it was ‘taking the issue…very seriously’.
Law, from Mississauga, Ontario, is also being investigated by police in the United States, Italy, and New Zealand.
- For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details