Two cases of violence and exploitation surface on the same Friday — Toronto, May 29
A teenager charged in synagogue shootings, and a poison seller linked to 147 deaths worldwide, both moved through Toronto's courts today.
Two cases of deliberate harm—one immediate and firearms-based, one slow and chemical—came to light in Toronto's justice system on the same day, each raising questions about how such actors operated undetected for so long.
A 17-year-old from Waterloo was arrested and charged in connection with shootings at two synagogues in Toronto and Vaughan in early March. York Regional Police announced the charges Friday: two counts each of reckless discharge of a firearm, conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, and weapons trafficking. The teen was apprehended with assistance from Waterloo Regional Police.
Separately, Kenneth Law, a 60-year-old from the Toronto area, pleaded guilty Friday to abetting 14 suicides across Ontario. But the scale of his operation extended far beyond those fourteen deaths. Court heard that over two years, Law ran online shops selling a legal but potentially lethal chemical and other suicide paraphernalia. He shipped 1,209 packages to buyers in 41 countries. Law is now suspected of being linked to nearly 147 deaths worldwide, according to a CBC News investigation.
The two cases arrived in court the same day, separated by method and geography but united by intent. One involved a teenager with firearms. The other involved a middle-aged man methodically packaging death for strangers across the globe. Both operated in or near Toronto. Both went undetected—or at least uncharged—for months or years.
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