More victim impact statements to come at poison seller Kenneth Law's sentencing hearing

U.K. police link 79 deaths to Kenneth Law but aren't pressing charges

This page contains discussion of suicide, including references to people who have died by suicide. Some of the material may be distressing.

If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. In Canada, you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide Crisis Helpline. Kids Help Phone is available at 1-800-668-6868, or by texting 686868.

Maria Lopez, mother of the late Jeshennia Bedoya-Lopez, speaks to members of the media outside the Superior Court of Justice building, in Newmarket, Ont., yesterday. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)The sentencing for Kenneth Law, the Ontario engineer who pleaded guilty to counselling or aiding 14 suicides in Ontario and is suspected of being tied to at least 147 deaths worldwide, continues today. 

Yesterday, families read out heart-wrenching victim impact statements describing the pain of their loss and even the regret expressed by their loved ones before dying. 

More than a dozen statements were read in court, either by loved ones themselves, by the Crown or through recorded video. Many family members broke down as they described the lasting impact of their losses. Law sat in the prisoner's box throughout, showing little visible reaction.

Among those who spoke was Cindy MacMinn, whose son Clayton Choquette died in 2022.

"My son is dead. He is gone. I am empty. I am hollow," MacMinn said through tears.

The mother of Tom Windsor, who died at 29, said: "If it were not for him and his actions, I believe that Tom would still be here. I have to get up every day and face the reality of losing my child."

And the mother of 18-year-old Dylan Cerny-Salisbury said his death shattered her life "into a million pieces."

"He mattered. He should be here," she said.

One of the last statements came from the family of a 14-year-old British boy who died after ingesting a substance provided by Law. 

The boy hadn't opened his door after his mother came home from running errands one day in 2021. She later received a scheduled email from him titled, "Goodbye." When his father forced his door open, the boy was unresponsive in his room. 

This page contains discussion of suicide, including references to people who have died by suicide. Some of the material may be distressing.

If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. In Canada, you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide Crisis Helpline. Kids Help Phone is available at 1-800-668-6868, or by texting 686868.