Trigger Warning: This article contains references to drug addiction
Matthew Perry asked his live-in assistant to inject him with several doses of ketamine on October 28, 2023, the day he died, according to new details shared by investigating officials.
At 8:30 that morning, his assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, injected him with a first dose of ketamine, People reports, citing a plea agreement Iwamasa made with the Department of Justice. At 12:45, he again injected Perry while the Friends actor watched a movie in his home, per the publication. According to the cited plea agreement, Perry asked for yet another dose 40 minutes after the second.
“Shoot me up a big one,” Perry told his assistant and asked him to get his hot tub ready. The third dose was administered to Perry while he was near or in his jacuzzi, according to the agreement. Iwamasa then reportedly left the home to run some errands and, upon his return, found Perry dead, face down in the soaking tub.
Iwamasa is one of the five defendants charged by the DOJ in connection with Perry’s death, which was the result of “acute effects” of ketamine, according to his autopsy report. The drug, for those who may not know, is a controlled anesthetic used to treat anxiety and depression. Perry had been receiving ketamine therapy to treat the same conditions for a while under the supervision of his doctors in the months leading up to his death. His regular doctors were not charged by the authorities.
The actor’s assistant pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death after admitting to “repeatedly” injecting the actor with the drug in the days leading up to his death. Per the plea agreement, he injected Perry with six to eight doses of ketamine a day between October 24 and October 27.
Also charged in Perry’s death case is Jasveen Sangha, aka The Ketamine Queen, according to prosecutors, and Dr. Salvador Plasencia. Both have pleaded not guilty to several charges. Both are charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. Sangha, for the record, also faces one count of maintaining a drug premises, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute ketamine, and five counts of distribution of ketamine, per People.
Erik Fleming, an associate of Perry and the fourth defendant in the case, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. Dr. Mark Chavez, the final defendant, meanwhile, has pledged to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, the DOJ said.
U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said during a press conference announcing the charges that Perry had fallen back into his addiction shortly before his death, and that these defendants took advantage of his addiction issues to “enrich themselves.”
If you know someone who is struggling with substance abuse, please reach out to the authorities and report it. There are several helplines available for the same.
