One of the two doctors who were among five people charged in the actor’s overdose death Matthew Perry was declared guilty this Wednesday of an accusation of illegal distribution of ketamine.
Dr. Mark Chavez admitted his guilt during an appearance in Los Angeles District Court. The doctor could be punished with up to 10 years in prison.
Another doctor accused in the case, Dr. Salvador Plasencia, has pleaded not guilty, as has Jasveen Sangha, known as “the ketamine queen” for being an illicit supplier of the drug. Both are expected to go to trial in March.
The late actor’s personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, who admitted to injecting Perry with ketamine, also pleaded guilty to the charges against him. The same goes for the alleged middleman who said he obtained ketamine from Sangha, who has already pleaded guilty to the charges against him.
Matthew Perry was found dead in the jacuzzi of his home on October 28, 2023. He was 54 years old and his unexpected death seriously affected all of the actor’s followers around the world.
The autopsy report released last December put an end to all kinds of speculations and hypotheses: Perry died from ‘acute effects’ of ketamine and other factors that caused him to lose consciousness and drown in his jacuzzi.
Matt Binninger, Chavez’s attorney, told reporters in August that his client was “doing everything in his power to cooperate and assist in this situation.” ““He is incredibly sorry.”said the lawyer.
The lawyer added that Chávez’s regrets were not due to Perry’s fame but to the fact that “someone who was trying to get treatment died.”
Addiction for decades
The actor had publicly admitted to his addiction to various substances for decadeseven during the years he played Chandler Bing in Friends.
Perry gained huge popularity thanks to Friendsthe hit, long-running series about a group of six friends played by Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer, which ran for ten seasons between 1994 and 2004.
