Current:Home > FinanceMatthew Perry Couldn't Speak or Move Due to Ketamine Episode Days Before Death -Thrive Financial Network
Matthew Perry Couldn't Speak or Move Due to Ketamine Episode Days Before Death
View
Date:2025-04-18 05:19:49
Authorities are releasing more details into Matthew Perry's final days after five people were charged in connection to his death.
The Friends alum was found dead in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home on Oct. 28, with his cause of death later determined to be "acute effects of ketamine" in drug and drowning-related accident.
However, it wasn’t the first time he experienced negative effects of the dissociative anesthetic. Perry had an "adverse medical reaction" to an at-home ketamine injection on Oct. 12, just 16 days before his death, prosecutors said in unsealed Department of Justice documents reviewed by E! News Aug. 16.
Prosecutors alleged defendant Dr. Salvador Plasencia injected the 54-year-old with "a large dose" of the controlled substance at request of the Perry's live-in assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, who has also been charged in the case, after the actor had already undergone ketamine infusion therapy from a doctor's office.
The DOJ said the at-home ketamine caused a "significant spike" to Perry's systolic blood pressure, making him "freeze up" so much that he "could not speak or move."
Prosecutors alleged that Plasencia told Iwamasa "something to the effect of: 'let’s not do that again'" following Perry's reaction to the additional dosage, though the assistant continued to purchase ketamine for at-home use in the following days.
Iwamasa has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death, per authorities.
Meanwhile, Plasencia is facing one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, seven counts of distribution of ketamine and two counts of altering and falsifying documents or records related to the federal investigation. He has not publicly entered a plea.
In Iwamasa's plea agreement obtained by E! News Aug. 16, prosecutors alleged the 59-year-old injected Perry with ketamine obtained through unofficial channels around 8:30 a.m. on the day of his death. They accused Iwamasa of giving Perry two more doses in the span of six hours, before leaving him to run errands.
Iwamasa returned home to find Perry face down in the hot tub, per the filing.
In connection to Perry's death, Jasveen Sangha—a North Hollywood woman who authorities call “The Ketamine Queen"—has also been charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, one count of maintaining a drug-involved 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 the DOJ, Erik Fleming—an individual who authorities allege sold ketamine to Iwamasa—and Dr. Mark Chavez—a San Diego-based physician who allegedly sold the drug to Plasencia—have both pleaded guilty to charges relating to Perry's death.
"We allege each of the defendants played a key role in his death by falsely prescribing, selling, or injecting the ketamine that caused Matthew Perry’s tragic death," Anne Milgram of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said in an Aug. 15 statement. “Matthew Perry’s journey began with unscrupulous doctors who abused their position of trust because they saw him as a payday, to street dealers who gave him ketamine in unmarked vials."
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News AppveryGood! (353)
Related
- Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
- Shooting kills 2 and injures 18 victims in Florida street with hundreds of people nearby
- Prosecutor refiles case accusing Missouri woman accused of killing her friend
- Colorado DB Shilo Sanders ejected after big hit in loss to UCLA
- Megan Fox's ex Brian Austin Green tells Machine Gun Kelly to 'grow up'
- Boys graduate high school at lower rates than girls, with lifelong consequences
- Indonesian troops recover bodies of 6 workers missing after attack by Papua separatists
- 2 dead, 18 injured in Tampa street shooting, police say
- Paige Bueckers vs. Hannah Hidalgo highlights women's basketball games to watch
- In Mississippi, most voters will have no choice about who represents them in the Legislature
Ranking
- Paige Bueckers vs. Hannah Hidalgo highlights women's basketball games to watch
- Unlock a mini Squishmallow every day in December with their first ever Advent calendar
- Moms for Liberty unexpectedly finds itself at the center of a heated suburban Indiana mayoral race
- Kentucky Derby winner Mage out of Breeders’ Cup Classic, trainer says horse has decreased appetite
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- Halloween candy sales not so sweet: Bloomberg report
- White House state dinner for Australia strikes measured tone in nod to Israel-Hamas war
- Justin Trudeau, friends, actors and fans mourn Matthew Perry
Recommendation
McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
Colombian police continue search for father of Liverpool striker Díaz
1 dead, 8 others injured in shooting at large party in Indianapolis
Spooky savings: 23 businesses offering Halloween discounts from DoorDash, Red Lobster, Chipotle, more
Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
Water woes, hot summers and labor costs are haunting pumpkin farmers in the West
Mass graves, unclaimed bodies and overcrowded cemeteries. The war robs Gaza of funeral rites
Matthew Perry Dead at 54: Relive His Extraordinarily Full Life in Pictures