Los Angeles /
One of the two doctors accused by the overdose death of the actor Matthew Perry pleaded guilty Wednesday in a Los Angeles court to illegally supplying the drug ketamine to the star of Friends.
The doctor Mark Chavezone of five charged in Perry’s tragic death nearly a year ago, could face up to a decade in prison. YesHe will be sentenced on April 2, the court decided this Wednesday.
Charged in Matthew Perry’s death
Perry, who marked a generation with his role as the sarcastic Chandler Bing in Friends and who struggled for years with addictions, was found dead at the age of 54 in the jacuzzi of his home in October 2023.
The autopsy determined that he died due to “acute effects of ketamine”, a controlled drug that the actor, a recovering addict, took as part of a supervised therapy, but which according to investigations, he also consumed illicitly, without medical supervision. .
Chavez admitted to the charges as part of an agreement with the authorities in charge of the case.
In a previous hearing he was released on $50,000 bail, while agreeing to return his medical license in the state of California, where he practiced.
Four other people were charged for the tragedy that shocked Hollywoodincluding another doctor.
Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who according to the Prosecutor’s Office bought ketamine from Chavez and resold it to Perry’s entourage for thousands of dollars, pleaded not guilty, as did Jasveen Sangha, a trafficker known as ‘The Ketamine Queen’ for supplying the drug to celebrities.
Both will go to trial in March of next year, and could face decades in prison if found guilty by justice.
Perry’s personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, was also charged in the case and is due to be sentenced in November.
Iwamasa, who worked with the actor for years, admitted to having injected him with ketamine and being the intermediary in the purchase of the powerful drug.
Death of ‘Friends’ star
Erik Fleming, the fifth defendant in the case and who faces charges of conspiracy to distribute drugs, admitted in court that He was the one who distributed the dose that killed Perryaccording to the authorities.
“He admitted that he obtained the ketamine from his source, Sangha, and gave him 50 vials of ketamine to Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, half of them four days before Perry’s death,” the US justice said in August.
Perry made a name that transcended borders thanks to the hit series Friends broadcast on American television from 1994 to 2004.
The comedy series, which portrayed the lives of six New York friends navigating their way through dating and professional life, attracted a large following around the world, turning its protagonists into megastars.
The death of Perry, who suffered from addictions to painkillers and alcohol, generated a wave of sadness worldwide among his followers and colleagues.
Doctors and veterinarians use ketamine as an anesthetic, and researchers have explored its use in the treatment of depression.
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