Matthew Perry, best known for his role on “Friends,” was battling a severe ketamine addiction, injecting the drug six to eight times daily before his accidental overdose, federal prosecutors have revealed.
Five individuals face charges related to Perry's death, including his personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, and Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who is accused of supplying the drug.
Court documents filed Thursday allege that Dr. Plasencia informed a patient that Perry was “too far gone and spiraling in his addiction” just a week before his death. Despite this, Plasencia allegedly continued to offer ketamine through Iwamasa. Perry had been receiving ketamine infusion therapy for depression and anxiety, but his fatal dose was not from these supervised treatments; his last session was over a week before his death.
Prosecutors state that Perry sought unsupervised doses of ketamine, developing an “out of control” dependence on the drug. Ketamine, an anesthetic with psychedelic effects, has recently shown promise as a treatment for certain mental illnesses but poses serious health risks.
Perry, aged 54, was discovered face down in the heated end of his pool in Pacific Palisades on October 28. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office reported that the ketamine levels in his body were comparable to those used for general anesthesia during surgery. Iwamasa, 59, pleaded guilty on August 7 to conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death and admitted to repeatedly injecting Perry without medical training.
According to the court documents outlining Iwamasa’s plea agreement, Perry was injected with ketamine on the day he died, first at 8:30 a.m. and again at 12:45 p.m. while watching a movie. Perry reportedly asked Iwamasa for “a big one” for another ketamine shot approximately 40 minutes after the second injection. Iwamasa administered the third shot within six hours, then went out for errands, only to find Perry face down in the pool upon his return.
Iwamasa told authorities that he began injecting Perry about a month before his death, after Perry met Dr. Plasencia around September 30. Iwamasa claimed Plasencia provided both liquid ketamine and ketamine lozenges.
Dr. Plasencia, 42, was arrested in Southern California on Thursday and charged with conspiracy to distribute ketamine. He pleaded not guilty in court. Plasencia’s lawyer has yet to respond to requests for comment.
Prosecutors allege that Plasencia taught Iwamasa how to administer ketamine through intramuscular injection, despite Iwamasa's lack of medical training. Perry is said to have instructed Iwamasa to keep in contact with Plasencia for additional supplies. Communication records between Plasencia and Iwamasa show frequent arrangements for more ketamine.
On October 12, two weeks before his death, Perry had a ketamine infusion with a doctor. Despite a bad reaction to this treatment—characterized by spiked blood pressure and physical distress—Plasencia allegedly left more ketamine at Perry’s home. The following day, Perry directed Iwamasa to obtain more ketamine from a different supplier, Erik Fleming.
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