The recent developments in the case of the death of actor Matthew Perry have led to questions being raised regarding the relationship between celebrities and their doctors and whether the said medical professionals cater towards the troubled celebrities’ addictions.
Matthew Perry, most popularly known for playing the role of the beloved Chandler Bing on the hit NBC sitcom Friends, was found dead on October 28, 2023, sending the internet into a frenzy. The actor was lying unresponsive in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home and was pronounced dead. He was 54 years old. The cause of his death was determined to be the acute effects of an anaesthetic with psychedelic properties, ketamine, and subsequent drowning.
Recent Developments
In May 2024, the Los Angeles Police Department started an investigation to find out how the actor obtained a high dose of ketamine that eventually led to his death. This investigation resulted in the arrest of five people on August 15 2024.
The defendants were two doctors, Perry’s live-in personal assistant, an acquaintance, and a drug dealer known as the ‘Ketamine Queen’. The five defendants have been charged in connection with the actor’s death. Authorities stated that the five individuals took advantage of the actor’s vulnerable state when Matthew Perry was falling deeper into a ketamine addiction last Autumn.
Martin Estrada, a U.S. Attorney, said during a news conference that the defendants were aware of their wrongdoings and that they were “risking great danger to Mr Perry.” He continued, “But they did it anyways. In the end, these defendants were more interested in profiting off of Mr. Perry than caring for his well-being.”
Roles of the Five Defendants
An 18-count superseding indictment states that the events that led to the actor’s death started in September 2023 when Salvador Plasencia, a doctor in Santa Monica, learned that the actor wanted ketamine. The drug, also known as a ‘club drug’, is used to treat people with mental health issues like depression and anxiety disorders, even though they pose serious medical risks.
Plasencia then reached out to Mark Chavez, a doctor in San Diego, who owns a ketamine clinic and started discussions on how much they were going to charge Matthew Perry for the drug. According to the court documents, a text message from Plasencia to Chavez read, “I wonder how much this moron will pay,” to which Chavez replied, “Lets find out.”
Perry and his live-in personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, 59, went on to receive 22 viles of ketamine and ketamine lozenges through a fraudulent prescription from Plasencia. The doctor then injected Matthew Perry with the drug and taught Iwamasa to do it as well. Federal prosecutors say that from September up till the actor’s death in late October, the drugs were sold at a price of $55,000 in cash.
In mid-October, Perry’s assistant, Iwamasa, reached out to an acquaintance of the late actor, Erik Fleming, for an extra source of the drug. Fleming then reached out to a drug dealer called ‘Ketamine Queen’.
Jasveen Sangha, 41, who is known by her nickname ‘Ketamine Queen’, has been living in North Hollywood and has been selling ketamine and other drugs for years, as stated by the federal prosecutors. In 2019, a man overdosed on the drugs provided by Sangha after which the prosecutors indicated that she searched “Can ketamine be listed as a cause of death” on Google.
She started providing Perry with drugs through Fleming, who coordinated the sales with Iwamasa, according to the indictment.
Reports stated that Matthew Perry’s dependence on the drug had become life-threatening as he was found unconscious on several occasions and has been observed to lose his ability to speak or move after taking a dose.
On October 28, Iwamasa injected the actor with at least 3 shots of the drug using syringes provided by the Santa Monica doctor. “Shoot me up with a big one.” was what Perry told Iwamasa after two doses. He was found unresponsive in his hot tub not too long after.
Legal Proceedings
Jasveen Sangha and Salvador Plasencia, 42, were arrested on Thursday in Southern California. Their charges included one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and Sangha was charged with other drug-related offenses.
Three out of the five defendants reached a plea deal with Sangha and Plasencia being the two who did not. The doctor’s trial is scheduled to be on October 8. Sangha has been ordered to remain in detention as the prosecutors stated that she is a “significant risk to flee” given her dual citizenship in the United States as well as the United Kingdom.
Anne Millgram, the Drug Enforcement Administration chief said, “Matthew Perry’s journey began with unscrupulous doctors who abused their position of trust because they saw him as a payday,”. She continued, “And it ended with street dealers who sold him ketamine in unmarked vials.”
