Five people have been charged in connection with the death of beloved actor Matthew Perry, who passed away last October at age 54.
Perry, best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the hit TV show Friends, was found dead in his home in Pacific Palisades, California.
An autopsy revealed that Perry died from the “acute effects of ketamine” and subsequent drowning.
Perry had long struggled with addiction, a battle he openly discussed in his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.
His struggles with substance abuse began in 1997 after a jet ski accident on the set of the movie Fools Rush In, which led to a dependency on prescription painkillers.
According to U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada, investigators believe Perry “fell back into addiction” last fall, and a network of individuals exploited his vulnerability for financial gain.
Among those charged are two doctors, Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez, who allegedly supplied Perry with ketamine, a powerful anesthetic that can be misused as a recreational drug.
Court documents reveal that in September 2023, Plasencia, upon learning of Perry’s interest in purchasing ketamine, saw an opportunity to profit.
He reportedly contacted Chavez to obtain the drug and began supplying it to Perry through his assistant, even teaching the assistant how to administer it.
Plasencia is accused of administering a large dose of ketamine to Perry on October 12, 2023, which caused a severe medical reaction.
Despite this, Perry continued to receive ketamine from Plasencia and others until his death on October 28.
One of the key figures in the case is Jasveen Sangha, known as the “Ketamine Queen” of North Hollywood, who allegedly ran a drug-selling operation out of her home.
Sangha, along with another individual named Eric Fleming, is accused of supplying the ketamine that ultimately led to Perry’s death.
Prosecutors allege that Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, injected Perry with the drug multiple times on the day of his death.
Following Perry’s death, Fleming and Sangha reportedly tried to delete incriminating messages that showed they had sold drugs to the actor. Despite their efforts, authorities were able to trace the transactions and build a case against the suspects.
The charges vary among the five individuals, with Plasencia facing multiple counts related to drug distribution and falsifying documents, while Chavez has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine.
Sangha has pleaded not guilty to several charges, including conspiracy to distribute ketamine and maintaining a drug-involved premises.
Fleming has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death, and Iwamasa has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death.
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