A number of people associated with Matthew Perry, including doctors and alleged North Hollywood Ketamine Queen Jasveen Sangha, will face charges over providing the actor with the drug, leading to his death, CNN reported.
Perry died last October at age 54 from “acute effects of ketamine” and subsequent drowning, according to an autopsy report. Investigators believe Perry returned to addiction last autumn, according to US Attorney Martin Estrada, announcing the charges on Thursday. Now five people are facing charges in connection with the famous actor’s death.
He stated that a multitude of people “cared more about profiting off of Mr Perry than caring for his well-being.” Estrada said two doctors, Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez, were working to provide Perry with ketamine. Last September, Plasencia learned that Perry had interest in buying ketamine and contacted Chavez, according to court documents.
Over the next several weeks, prosecutors claim that Plascencia bought ketamine from Chavez, sold vials of ketamine to Perry’s aide, and taught the aide how to administer the medication. Moreover, Plasencia also went to Perry’s house to drop off the ketamine and even injected the medication. On October 12, Plasencia injected a large dose into Perry, causing an adverse medical reaction, prosecutors said in court documents. Perry’s systolic blood pressure spiked.
By the middle of October, Eric Fleming, another person close to Perry, began contacting the alleged drug dealer to buy vials of ketamine on Perry’s behalf, resulting in Perry receiving about 20 vials of ketamine over the course of one month, costing him about $55,000.
Defendant Jasveen Sangha, whom authorities call the Ketamine Queen of North Hollywood, operated a trade drug’in house. Fleming reported that he obtained ketamine from Sangha and distributed the ketamine that ultimately killed Perry.
Kenneth Iwamasa, the actor’s assistant, injected Perry with ketamine despite having no medical training, Estrada said. Thus, during the last week of Perry’s life, Iwamasa gave him at least 21 ketamine injections, according to the indictment. Iwamasa gave several injections to Perry on 28 October 2023 – the day Perry died, according to authorities.
The guilty plea by Iwamasa confirmed it. Perry’s aide injected him at 8:30 a.m. and again at 12:30 a.m. The day he died, about 40 minutes later, Perry asked Iwamasa to prepare a hot tub and asked to “Shoot me up with a big one,” according to the court documents.
After Perry’s death, Fleming and Sangha tried to delete messages showing they had sold him drugs, court documents said. Fleming also wrote to Sangha and said he was 90 per cent sure everyone was protected.
Suspect Comments:
- Plasencia pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, seven counts of distributing ketamine and two counts of altering and falsifying documents or records related to a federal investigation.
- Chavez, the other doctor charged, “has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine,” prosecutors said.
- Sanga pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, one count of maintaining premises with drugs, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute ketamine and five counts of distribution of ketamine.
- Fleming pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. Fleming’s attorney declined to comment.
- Iwamasa, Perry’s assistant, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death, the US Attorney’s Office said.
Matthew Perry died on 28 October 2023. He starred as Chandler Bing in “Friends,” a role that led him to great popularity and worldwide love from audiences. Perry suffered from drug addiction and detailed his decade-long struggle with addiction in his 2022 memoir, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.” He said that he began abusing prescription drugs after he was involved in a jet ski accident on the set of “Fools Rush In” in 1997 and was prescribed Vicodin.
