She nearly died after ingesting a toxic substance sold by Kenneth Law. Now, a Scottish woman’s account of her painful experience is raising questions about how the alleged serial murderer from Ontario is connected to a mysterious online figure identified only as “Greenberg.”
Emma Morrison, 23, said she was going through a mental health crisis when she encountered the person on a pro-suicide forum. Unprompted, she said, the user known as Greenberg repeatedly directed her to a separate website, run by Law, selling a potentially lethal salt.
CBC News has seen multiple online posts by Greenberg promoting the Toronto-area man’s products. The anonymous user’s online activity appears to have ended shortly before Law’s May 2023 arrest.
Law is now facing 14 counts of first-degree murder and another 14 counts of counselling or aiding suicide in Ontario. Police said he operated a series of websites selling dangerous items to buyers at risk of self-harm. Law’s products are suspected of being connected to at least 124 deaths worldwide, including 93 in the U.K.
In a phone interview Tuesday night from her home in Dundee, Scotland, Morrison said the criminal case is warranted. “Every country where he’s affected someone,” she said, “I’d like to see him face charges.”
Messages from ‘Greenberg’
In a period of deteriorating mental health in 2021 and 2022, Morrison said she visited an online forum where users openly discuss methods of suicide. CBC previously reported Canadian coroners and mental health advocates have recommended access to such sites be restricted.
Morrison said her parents learned of her online activities and became worried. She recounted how she deleted her account on the forum and signed back up again. Repeatedly, she said the shadowy figure prompted her to visit Law’s website.
“I created three accounts in total,” she said. “And on every single one, Greenberg messaged me.”
Morrison provided a screenshot of a message from Greenberg which she said was sent to her on the forum, out of the blue. It contained only a link to “Imtime Cuisine,” a now-defunct website that Ontario police have linked to Law.
“They gave me the link to it … they told me how to take it,” she said.
Britain’s Times of London first reported Greenberg’s efforts to promote Law’s products. On May 25, 2021, one of Law’s websites announced the toxic salt would be available for purchase.
The same day, Greenberg posted on the suicide forum, “I came across a new source in Canada. [Private message] me if you like the link.”
On their own blog, Greenberg referred to Law’s products as being “unrivalled within the marketplace.” CBC viewed an archived version of the blog, which promoted methods of suicide.
The site was hosted on the Blogger platform owned by Google. A Google spokesperson could not confirm the identity of the blog’s owner but said it “was deleted and blacklisted” on April 26, 2023, the day after The Times published its first article on Law.
The former Toronto hotel cook also previously used Blogger to host a personal blog, listing his work experiences and studies in engineering and business administration.
The lawyer for accused poison seller Kenneth Law has confirmed all 14 second-degree murder changes against Law will be upgraded to first-degree murder counts. Law also faces 14 counts of counselling or aiding suicide in connection to the deaths of 14 people across Ontario.
Asked by CBC in December whether Law was in direct contact with his alleged victims, police declined to comment. “I do not think it is appropriate for me to comment, just to keep the investigation safeguarded,” said York Regional Police Insp. Simon James.
To secure a conviction on the first-degree murder charges, Crown prosecutors will need to prove the 14 Ontario deaths amounted to planned and deliberate killings.
Law’s lawyer Matthew Gourlay recently said his client would be pleading not guilty. Law, 58, is scheduled to appear in Newmarket, Ont. Superior Court on Thursday.
‘It can get better’
Morrison twice ordered a toxic substance from Law’s website. She shared email receipts from both purchases. In one email, Law informed her “your purchase has already been mailed. Kindest regards, Kenneth.”
After the second order in December 2022, Morrison said she ingested the toxic salt and nearly died.
She said she was struggling to breathe when her partner found her and called an ambulance. Morrison said she was rushed to hospital and was administered an antidote, methylene blue.
Morrison said she serves as an example that “it can get better.” She’s taking animal care classes in hopes of later studying veterinary medicine. Surrounded by a loving family, friends and boyfriend, she said, “I’m happy to be alive and doing well.”
If you have a news tip related to this story, contact CBC News senior reporter Thomas Daigle by email: thomas.daigle@cbc.ca.
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