Doctor accused of giving Matthew Perry ketamine before overdose agrees to plead guilty
The doctor accused of supplying Matthew Perry with ketamine in the months leading up to his overdose death will plead guilty.
Perry died from 'acute effects of ketamine' at the age of 54 after he was found 'unconscious in a stand-alone Jacuzzi' at his Los Angeles home on 28 October 2023.
Prior to his death, the Friends actor was taking legal amounts of the drug to treat his depression but wanted more than what he was prescribed.
Dr Salvador Plasencia, who is one of five people charged in relation to Perry's death, has now agreed to plead guilty.
Who is Dr Salvador Plasencia?
The Santa Monica doctor, 42, is set to plead guilty to four counts of distributing ketamine in the coming weeks, with the potential of spending up to 40 years in prison.
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Plasencia has been accused of providing the bulk of the ketamine to Perry, and in the new plea agreement, he admitted to injecting the actor with ketamine at his home and in a car park in the weeks prior to his death.
According to court filings, the medical professional asked Dr Mark Chavez, who has also been charged, to obtain the ketamine for him.
"I wonder how much this moron will pay," Dr Plasencia texted Chavez, according to the prosecution.
The duo then met up the same day where at least four vials of ketamine was exchanged, the court filings say.
Plasencia sold the drugs to Perry for $4,500 and allegedly asked Chavez if he could keep supplying them to become his 'go-to', prosecutors said.
Dr Plasencia had been scheduled to go to trial in August.
Who else has been charged?
· Perry's live-in personal assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, 59, has been accused of sourcing ketamine for the actor and injecting him with it on a number of occasions.
· Dr Mark Chavez, 54, who used to operate a ketamine clinic.
· 'Ketamine Queen' Jasveen Sangha, 41, has been accused of dealing drugs from a North Hollywood location, the 'Sangha Stash House'.
· Eric Fleming, 54, has been accused of being a 'street dealer' for Sangha and has admitted in court to providing the batch of ketamine that killed Perry.
Fleming, Chavez and Iwamasa have all plead guilty.
"These defendants took advantage of Mr Perry's addiction issues to enrich themselves," Attorney Martin Estrada said.
"They knew what they were doing was wrong, they knew what they were doing, was risking great danger to mister Perry, but they did it anyways.
"In the end, these defendants were more interested in profiting off Mr. Perry than caring for his wellbeing."
Topics: Celebrity, Drugs, Friends, Matthew Perry, Celebrity News, Crime
Anish Vij