Doctor pleads guilty to selling Matthew Perry ketamine in the weeks before actor’s death
A doctor has pleaded guilty in court today (23 July) to giving Matthew Perry ketamine in the month leading up to the actor's death.
Dr. Salvador Plasencia admitted guilt to four counts brought against him to Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett, in a Los Angeles federal court.
A signed document revealed that 43-year-old was set to go on trial next month before agreeing to plead guilty in June to four counts of distribution of ketamine to Perry.
Speaking only to answer questions presented by the judge, he was asked if his lawyers had considered all possible outcomes, to which the doctor said: “They’ve considered everything.”
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The actor 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.
Dr. Plasencia had pleaded not guilty, but agreed to to a plea deal which would see three additional counts of drug distribution and two counts of falsifying records, dropped.
Perry was only referred to as 'victim MP' in court, as Plasencia's lawyers claimed that he did not administer the dose that would kill the Friends actor.
The doctor would admit that the 17 Again star froze up and his blood pressure spiked after giving him an injection, though Plasencia would still leave some ketamine for Perry's assistant to inject.
At its maximum, the charges carry a sentence of 40 years behind bars.
Plasencia has been free on bond since his arrest in August 2024, and will remain free until his sentencing on 3 December this year.
He would swiftly leave the courthouse without speaking to the press.
The Santa Monica doctor, 42, has been accused of supplying the majority of Perry's ketamine to him, as he admitted to injecting the actor with the drug at his home and in a car park.
Court filings reveal that the medical professional asked Dr Mark Chavez, another doctor who has been charged, to get the ketamine for him.
Prosecutors said that Plasencia sold the drugs to Perry for $4,500 and asked if Chavez could keep supplying them.
It is believed that they met up that same day where at least four vials of ketamine were exchanged.
They also claimed that Plasencia texted Chavez: "I wonder how much this moron will pay."
The last defendant remaining who hasn't reached an agreement with the US Attorney's Office is a women named Jasveen Sangha.
The prosecution allege that she is a drug lord known as the 'Ketamine Queen' and that she sold Perry the lethal dose.
She has pleaded not guilty, and is set to appear on trial in August.
Topics: Matthew Perry, Celebrity News, Drugs
Joshua Nair