Current:Home > MarketsMatthew Perry Couldn't Speak or Move Due to Ketamine Episode Days Before Death -Wealth Empowerment Academy
Matthew Perry Couldn't Speak or Move Due to Ketamine Episode Days Before Death
View
Date:2025-04-14 17:58:44
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! (66888)
Related
- Brianna LaPaglia Reveals The Meaning Behind Her "Chickenfry" Nickname
- 2024 starts with shrinking abortion access in US. Here's what's going on.
- A dog shelter appeals for homes for its pups during a cold snap in Poland, and finds a warm welcome
- NFL Week 18 playoff clinching scenarios: Four division titles still to be won
- Louisiana high court temporarily removes Judge Eboni Johnson Rose from Baton Rouge bench amid probe
- LSU set to make new DC Blake Baker the highest-paid assistant in the country, per reports
- Roy Calne, a surgeon who led Europe’s first liver transplant, has died aged 93
- A fire in a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh guts more than 1,000 shelters
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- Thousands of mourners in Islamabad attend funeral for Pakistani cleric gunned down in broad daylight
Ranking
- Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
- Nigel Lythgoe departs 'So You Think You Can Dance' amid sexual assault allegations
- Residents across eastern U.S. and New England hunker down as snow, ice, freezing rain approaches
- Supreme Court agrees to hear Colorado case over Trump's 2024 ballot eligibility
- Matt Damon remembers pal Robin Williams: 'He was a very deep, deep river'
- Halle Bailey and DDG's Baby Boy Makes His Music Video Debut
- Cowboys' CeeDee Lamb has officially arrived as one of NFL's elite players
- NFL Week 18 playoff clinching scenarios: Four division titles still to be won
Recommendation
Louisiana high court temporarily removes Judge Eboni Johnson Rose from Baton Rouge bench amid probe
Residents across eastern U.S. and New England hunker down as snow, ice, freezing rain approaches
Golden Globes: How to watch, who’s coming and what else to know
Horoscopes Today, January 5, 2024
DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
The son of veteran correspondent is the fifth member of his family killed by Israeli strikes on Gaza
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney shows up to basketball game with black eye
At Florida’s only public HBCU, students watch warily for political influence on teaching of race