Actor Matthew Perry’s drug-related death is being investigated by a doctor who has entered a guilty plea.
In a Los Angeles court, Dr. Mark Chavez entered a guilty plea to a charge of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, a surgical anesthetic.
Perry, the star of the NBC sitcom Friends, was provided with ketamine lozenges by Chavez, 54, who ran a ketamine clinic and sold them to Dr. Salvador Plasencia.
Perry’s death has five charges against people, including Chavez. October 2023 saw the 54-year-old actor discovered dead in his southern California backyard jacuzzi.
Ketamine was identified in high quantity in his blood during a post-mortem test, which concluded that the drug’s “acute effects” were what killed him.
Ketamine is used to treat pain, anxiety, and depression.
Chavez acknowledged in his plea deal that he used a fake prescription to get ketamine from a wholesale distributor as well as from his old clinic.
Perry’s aide, Kenneth Iwamasa, allegedly collaborated with the two doctors to give the actor about $50,000 (£38,000) worth of ketamine in the final weeks of his life, according to the prosecution.
In the indictment, it states that the two doctors texted each other about how much they could charge Perry for medicine vials. One of the texts said, “I wonder how much this moron will pay.”
Chavez may still spend up to 10 years in jail, but the plea enables him to enter a guilty plea to a charge that is less serious in exchange for his cooperation with the investigation.
“He’s taken ownership of the situation.
His lawyer informed the court that “he is cooperating.”
Along with handing over his passport, Chavez promised to give up his medical license right away.
Until his sentence on April 2, 2025, he remains free on bond.
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