Grief, despair fill courtroom as families of Kenneth Law’s victims speak out

Grief and despair filled a Newmarket, Ont., courtroom today as friends and family members remembered loved ones who died by suicide after buying a chemical online from an Ontario man now linked to dozens of deaths worldwide.

Kenneth Law, 60, pleaded guilty to aiding suicide in the deaths of 14 people in the province.

Fourteen victims in Ontario — 14 people who, in their lowest moments, found what Law was selling online: a chemical that would kill them.

Maurizio Vadala, 36, of Mississauga, Ont., left a note to his family saying: “I love and will miss you all. Goodbye.”

His death came as a shock to his loved ones.

“Finding things on my brother’s phone, and finding things in his credit card statements that pointed me in the right direction. It is and was surreal. That’s the best way to put it. It sounds like something that should be in a movie,” said Adrienne Dalli, Vadala’s sister.

Vadala’s sister read her emotional victim impact statement in court today and looked directly at the man who helped her brother take his own life.

“I was taken back a bit because he seems to be emotionless,” she said.

WATCH MORE: Kenneth Law pleads guilty to aiding suicide, Crown drops murder charges

The parents of 18-year-old Jeshennia Bedoya-Lopez described feeling a permanent void in their lives after the death of their only daughter. The family shared a song and video created to honour her short life.

“I saw my daughter pale, bruised and cold … that image became part of me,” her father, Leonardo Bedoya, wrote in his victim impact statement.

A woman who survived her suicide attempt spoke in court today as well. She said she came across Law’s website selling the chemical when her mental health was at a low point, adding that her vulnerability was exploited.

Law ran several websites used to sell products that can be used for self-harm. He sent roughly 1,200 packages to people in more than 40 countries, including close to 160 packages shipped to addresses within Canada, according to an agreed statement of facts.

The court will continue to hear the 74 victim impact statements tomorrow.

Across Canada you can call or text 9-8-8, the country’s Suicide Crisis Helpline. It offers a free space to talk, 24 hours a day, every day of the week. You can also find more information online at 9-8-8.ca. And if you need immediate assistance, call 9-1-1.

READ MORE: Sentencing hearing begins for Kenneth Law, who sold substances used for suicide