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On June 17, 2025, one of the accused in the actor Matthew Perry's accidental overdose death, Dr. Salvador Plasencia, agreed to plead guilty to four counts of distributing ketamine in the weeks leading up to the incident. The doctor's admission to the felony count for distributing the drug could lead him to face a long time in prison.
According to the article by The Standard, Dr Salvador injected Matthew Perry with ketamine several times at his home and also once at the Long Beach Aquarium, which has been mentioned in the plea agreement. He provided Matthew with extra vials to keep at home and also taught his assistant how to administer the drug. The doctor is one of the five people charged by the prosecutor in the case.
The famed Friends star Matthew Perry was found dead in his hot tub in Los Angeles in October 2023 due to an accidental overdose of the drug. Matthew was under ketamine-assisted psychotherapy to treat his depression, but often resorted to consuming more than what was prescribed.
The article further discusses details regarding the investigation and the legal consequences to be faced by the accused.
The investigation into Matthew Perry's death explained
According to the Associated Press, in August 2024, an investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department led to indictments and charges being filed against five people. The five accused involved are Dr Mark Chavez, Dr Salvador Plasencia, Jasveen Sangha, Erik Fleming, and the actor's personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa.
In the charges, Jasveen and Erik were described as the drug dealers who negotiated prices with Kenneth on Matthew Perry's behalf. Kenneth would bring the cash to one of Jasveen's stash houses after negotiation to pick up the drugs for the actor.
The doctors were accused of using the actor's prolonged drug abuse history for financial gain. In one of the texts from Dr Chavez to Dr Plasencia, the former wrote the following,
"I wonder how much this moron will pay."Dr Chavez would obtain the drug through illegal prescription and sell it to the actor with the help of Dr Plasencia, who also taught Perry's assistant to administer the drug. With Dr Plasencia's latest plea, four of the five accused have pleaded guilty in the case.
Consequences for those involved in the actor's death
Chavez, one of the doctors charged in connection with the death of Matthew Perry, is swarmed by the media. (Image via Getty)Initially, Kenneth Iwamasa pleaded guilty to being the middleman and also to administering ketamine to the actor beyond his legal prescription. Erik Fleming and Mark Chavez also pleaded guilty to supplying Matthew Perry with the drug in the weeks leading up to his death.
Each could face a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. Salvador, who admitted to selling twenty vials of ketamine and also teaching Perry's assistant to administer the drug, could face 40 years behind bars if convicted.
US Attorney Martin Estrada revealed that the doctors were aware that supplying him with the drugs could be harmful to Matthew Perry's life. In one instance, the actor was sold a $12 vial of ketamine for $2,000. The actor paid about $55,000 to the doctors in two months before his death, as revealed by the US Attorney.
Mark's license has been suspended, while Salvador has been allowed to continue with his practice only if he gets a signed document from his patients stating that they are aware of the charges against him.
The other accused in the case, Jasveen Sangha, who was termed the 'Ketamine Queen' by the authorities, pleaded not guilty to the charges against her. Jasveen remains in custody and has been denied bond. If all charges stand against her, Jasveen could face 10 years to life in prison.
Stay tuned with us for further updates.
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Edited by Niharika Dabral
English (US)