Matthew Perry’s doctor to plead guilty to supplying him ketamine before fatal overdose
A Los Angeles physician has agreed to plead guilty to supplying ketamine to actor Matthew Perry in the weeks leading up to his fatal overdose, prosecutors announced.
Dr Salvador Plasencia is set to admit to four counts of ketamine distribution, charges that carry a potential sentence of up to 40 years in prison.
Plasencia is one of five individuals charged in connection with the death of Perry, whose body was discovered by his assistant in a hot tub in October 2023.
According to the medical examiner, Perry died from the combined effects of ketamine and other factors, which led to unconsciousness and drowning.
He was 54 years old when he died at his home in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles.
Though Perry had been undergoing legal ketamine treatments for depression through a licensed physician, prosecutors say he began seeking additional supplies beyond what was being prescribed.
Plasencia is accused of being the primary source of ketamine to Perry in his final weeks.
Prosecutors revealed that Plasencia, along with three others – including another doctor – has agreed to plead guilty in exchange for cooperation with the case.
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One defendant, Jasmine Sangha, who is accused of being a major ketamine supplier and allegedly provided the dose that killed Perry, is the only person who has pleaded not guilty.
Roughly a month before Perry’s death, he allegedly connected with Plasencia, who then contacted Dr Mark Chavez to procure ketamine, according to court filings.
“I wonder how much this moron will pay,” Plasencia texted Chavez, according to prosecutors’ documents.
The two doctors, who both practised in California, reportedly met the same day and exchanged at least four vials of the drug.
Plasencia then sold the ketamine to Perry for $4,500, and later asked Chavez if he could continue supplying it, hoping they could become Perry’s “go-to,” prosecutors stated.
Chavez has since pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute ketamine to Perry.
Perry had a long-documented struggle with addiction, dating back to his Friends era.
He became a household name while starring as Chandler Bing on the iconic sitcom alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer from 1994 to 2004.