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An investigation revealed that Matthew Perry’s ketamine use spiraled out of control in the weeks before his death.
He injected the drug six to eight times a day and paid $55,000 for it in the month before his death, prosecutors revealed in court documents this week. Five people have been charged with conspiracy to distribute ketamine in connection with the death of the Friends Actor in October 2023.
The Los Angeles County coroner said in December that Perry died from the “acute effects” of ketamine. The autopsy report said the amount of ketamine found in his blood was about the same as that found during general anesthesia.
According to the files, Dr. Salvador Plasencia is accused of giving the actor the drug and Perry’s assistant Kenneth Iwamasa injected it into him on the day of his death.
Dr. Mark Chavez, owner of a ketamine clinic in San Diego, is charged in the death. Erik Fleming, a friend of a friend of Perry’s, is alleged to have supplied the drug along with Jasveen Sangha, a saleswoman dubbed the “ketamine queen.”
Iwamasa and two other defendants agreed to plead guilty. Sangha and Plasencia pleaded not guilty. Their trials are scheduled for October.
Although Perry received ketamine infusion therapy to treat depression and anxiety, it was not the therapy that led to his death. According to NBC News, prosecutors say the actor used the drug uncontrollably and his addiction spiraled “out of control.”
On October 28, 2023, Perry received his first shot around 8:30 a.m. from Iwamasa, his live-in assistant. The second shot came four hours later and another was administered about 40 minutes after that, Iwamasa said, according to a plea agreement.
“Give me a big shot,” Perry is said to have told the assistant before asking him to prepare his hot tub.
After running some errands, Iwamasa returned home and found Perry lying face down in the water. He was 54 years old.
After doctors refused to increase his dosage, Perry found other ways to get the drug, court documents show. There were several occasions when the actor experienced negative effects from the drugs, such as when Perry became unconscious after taking a high dose and lost his ability to speak, according to The New York Times.
The charges were filed after a seven-month investigation. Prosecutors accuse several defendants of taking advantage of Perry’s addiction despite knowing about his problems and his attempts to quit.
US Attorney for the Central District of California Martin Estrada said Thursday that the defendants were “more interested in profiting from Mr. Perry than in caring about his well-being.”
Plasencia allegedly taught Iwamasa how to inject Perry with ketamine, prosecutors said. On one occasion, the doctor gave Perry the injection in the back seat of his car during a meeting in Long Beach.
“I wonder how much this idiot will pay,” Plasencia also texted Chavez.
As Perry was looking for more sources of the drug, he was put in touch with Fleming. The two had a mutual friend, and Fleming told Perry he had a source, Sangha. Fleming, who agreed to cooperate with authorities, at one point sent Iwamasa a picture of a ketamine vial with a horse on the packaging, as the drug is used as a tranquilizer for animals.
Court records show that Iwamasa wrote to Fleming that Perry was “only interested in the unmarked copies, not the version with the horse.”
“I’ve been making some calls about the Mexican stuff and people are OK with it, too,” Fleming said.
Iwamasa faces up to 15 years in prison, Fleming up to 25 years and Chavez up to 10 years. The New York Times reported.
