Five people have officially been charged in connection to Matthew Perry‘s death. Federal officials in Los Angeles announced the development on Thursday. Among those charged in connection to his death are Perry’s doctor and an assistant to Perry. Others include a second doctor and a woman nicknamed the Ketamine Queen.
The Friends star was found unresponsive in his hot tub on October 28, 2023. He was just 54 when he died. According to the Department of Justice, the Ketamine Queen is accused of selling Mattew the fatal batch of ketamine that led to Perry’s untimely death.
Investigations have led to charges against five people in relation to Matthew Perry’s death
The primary defendants in the investigation are 42-year-old Dr. Salvador Plasencia, nicknamed Dr. P, along with 41-year-old Jasveen Sangha, who is reportedly the one referred to as the Ketamine Queen. The remaining three are being charged separately.
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The remaining trio includes 54-year-old Dr. Mark Chavez, who is documented in court records admitting to selling ketamine to Plasencia; 54-year-old Eric Fleming, who admitted to distributing the ketamine that killed Perry; and Perry’s assistant, 59-year-old Kenneth Iwamasa, who admitted to administering ketamine to Perry on the day he died.
History repeats itself
These charges are part of a sweeping investigation that was launched after Matthew Perry’s death last fall. U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said that investigative efforts revealed “a broad, underground criminal network responsible for distributing large quantities of ketamine to Mr. Perry and others.”
“These defendants took advantage of Mr. Perry’s addiction issues to enrich themselves,” said Estrada during a Thursday press conference. “They knew what they were doing was risking great danger to Mr. Perry, but they did it anyway.”
Those following the case and the circumstances surrounding Perry’s death may be feeling a grim sense of deja vu. They are reminded of the death of King of Pop Michael Jackson, who was just 50 years old when he himself died on June 25, 2009. The cause of death was declared to be acute propofol intoxication. In 2011, Jackson’s own doctor, Conrad Murray, was charged with involuntary manslaughter after accidentally overdosing Jackson.
In the press conference, Estrada condemned the actions of the defendants. “It is a drug that must be administered by medical professionals, and the patient must be monitored closely,” he noted of ketamine, which was found in trace amounts in Perry’s system following his death. “That did not occur here.” After stating that the defendants made a deliberate effort to cover up their actions, Estrada added, “You are playing roulette with other people’s lives, just like these five defendants here did to Mr. Perry.”
