A doctor charged with giving Matthew Perry ketamine before his death has now pleaded guilty.
The actor, most known for his role as Chandler Bing in Friends, died in October 2023, at the age of 54 – an autopsy later revealed that he had been killed by ‘acute effects of ketamine’.
Following an investigation, five people were charged in connection with his death – including his live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, Erik Fleming, Dr Salvador Plasencia, Dr Mark Chavez and Jasveen Sangha, who was dubbed the ‘Ketamine Queen’.
Appearing in federal court in LA earlier today, Plasencia pleaded guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine.
According to AP, the 43-year-old only spoke to answer the judge’s questions, confirming that his legal team had considered the possibilities of the pleas and sentencing.
In a statement to the outlet, his lawyer later said: ‘Dr Plasencia is profoundly remorseful for the treatment decisions he made while providing ketamine to Matthew Perry.
‘He is fully accepting responsibility by pleading guilty to drug distribution. Dr Plasencia intends to voluntarily surrender his medical license, acknowledging his failure to protect Mr Perry, a patient who was especially vulnerable due to addiction.’
Plasencia had initially pleaded not guilty, but changed his plea last month after an agreement was reached with prosecutors, who dropped two counts of falsifying records and three addition counts of distribution of ketamine.
He was accused of supplying the bulk of Perry’s ketamine in his final weeks, and faces a maximum of 40 years in prison.
Rolling Stone reports that he signed the agreement on June 13, stating that he once administered the 17 Again star with ketamine in the backseat of a parked car in California.
In another instance, he allegedly confirmed that he visited Perry’s home in October 2023 to give him the drug, and watched as his ‘blood pressure spiked’, causing the actor to ‘freeze up’.
‘Not withstanding victim [Perry’s] reaction, defendant left additional vials of ketamine with defendant Iwamasa, knowing that defendant Iwamasa would inject the ketamine into victim [Perry],’ the paperwork reportedly said.
Perry had been in the spotlight for decades, thanks to his starring role in Friends alongside Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer.
He had been open about his addiction struggles throughout his career, including in his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing.
Court documents state that he was taking ketamine 6 to 8 times a day in the time leading up to his death.
It is thought that the TV icon found Plasencia about a month before his death, after asking Dr Chavez to help obtain the drug for him.
Prosecutors claimed that they conspired to supply him with around 20 vials in exchange for $55,000 during the last weeks of his life, and charged him $2,000 for a single vial – which reportedly cost Chavez around $12.
Plasencia reportedly called Perry a ‘moron’ in text messages to his fellow doctor, and wondered how much he’d be willing to pay for the drugs, according to communication uncovered in the indictment.
He will be sentenced on December 3, while Chavez’s hearing is on September 17, Fleming is due in court on November 12 and Iwamasa’s sentencing will take place on November 19.
Sangha is the only defendant who is yet to reach an agreement – she is accused of being a major ketamine dealer and is alleged to have provided the lethal dose that killed Perry.
She has pleaded not guilty, and her trial is scheduled to begin next month.
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