A doctor accused of illegally supplying actor Matthew Perry with ketamine in the weeks leading up to the Friends star’s death in 2023 has agreed to plead guilty and could now face a maximum sentence of 40 years. Also read: Lisa Kudrow reveals she found secret note from Friends co-star Matthew Perry after his death
New update in Matthew Perry’s death case
On Monday, prosecutors announced that the “lead” doctor charged in connection with Matthew’s 2023 ketamine overdose death has accepted a plea deal, reports Variety.
Dr Salvador Plasencia has agreed to plead guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine, a spokesperson with the Central District of California said. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 40 years in federal prison.
Dr Salvador, who comes from Santa Monica, California, is one of five people who were charged in relation to Matthew’s death. As per the prosecutors, an underground network of drug sellers and suppliers was responsible for distributing the ketamine that killed Matthew.
In the plea agreement, Salvador Plasencia acknowledges that he repeatedly provided ketamine without a legitimate medical purpose in the weeks leading up to the actor’s death. Now, the doctor could face up to 40 years in prison and a $2 million fine on four criminal counts of distributing ketamine, under the agreement, which was filed on Monday in federal court in Los Angeles.
According to a co-defendant, Salvador Plasencia in a text message called the actor a “moron” who could be exploited for money. The physician had been one of the primary targets of the prosecution, along with a woman accused of being a ketamine dealer. Three other defendants, including another doctor, agreed to plead guilty last year in exchange for their cooperation.
According to Salvador Plasencia’s plea agreement, which was filed on Monday, he distributed 20 vials of ketamine, ketamine lozenges and syringes to Matthew and the actor’s live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, between September 30, 2023, and October 12, 2023, as per a report by ABC News.
In addition to this, Salvador Plasencia “admits that his conduct fell below the proper standard of medical care and that transfers of ketamine vials to Defendant Iwamasa and Victim M.P. were not for a legitimate medical purpose”. Salvador Plasencia went to the actor’s home to give him a shot of ketamine, and once administered ketamine to Matthew in a parking lot.
About Matthew Perry’s death
Matthew was found dead at his Los Angeles home at the age of 54. He died on October 28, 2023. Toxicology reports indicated that his death was due to acute ketamine effects, along with drowning and coronary artery disease. Following his passing, the DEA and LAPD initiated an investigation into the drugs involved, which resulted in multiple arrests that included Matthew’s assistant and a known drug supplier.
In a new issue of People, Matthew’s stepfather, Keith Morrison, revealed that the actor’s “dying wish” was that people remember him “for helping other people, more than his famousness for Friends. That has now become our mission in life is to carry that wish on”.
