Current:Home > MyMatthew Perry Couldn't Speak or Move Due to Ketamine Episode Days Before Death -Thrive Success Strategies
Matthew Perry Couldn't Speak or Move Due to Ketamine Episode Days Before Death
View
Date:2025-04-18 19:10:02
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! (549)
Related
- Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West
- North Carolina’s Bet on Biomass Energy Is Faltering, With Energy Targets Unmet and Concerns About Environmental Justice
- The economics of the influencer industry, and its pitfalls
- College Acceptance: Check. Paying For It: A Big Question Mark.
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- The economics of the influencer industry
- Find Out What the Stars of Secret Life of the American Teenager Are Up to Now
- He's trying to fix the IRS and has $80 billion to play with. This is his plan
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- The banking system that loaned billions to SVB and First Republic
Ranking
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- How Is the Jet Stream Connected to Simultaneous Heat Waves Across the Globe?
- Robert De Niro's Grandson Leandro De Niro Rodriguez Dead at 19
- Shares of smaller lenders sink once again, reviving fears about the banking sector
- Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West
- First Republic Bank shares plummet, reigniting fears about U.S. banking sector
- Amy Schumer Crashes Joy Ride Cast's Press Junket in the Most Epic Way
- Warming Trends: Laughing About Climate Change, Fighting With Water and Investigating the Health Impacts of Fracking
Recommendation
'Most Whopper
Proteger a la icónica salamandra mexicana implíca salvar uno de los humedales más importantes del país
Inside Clean Energy: How Should We Account for Emerging Technologies in the Push for Net-Zero?
In Georgia, Warnock’s Climate Activism Contrasts Sharply with Walker’s Deep Skepticism
Travis Hunter, the 2
California Considers ‘Carbon Farming’ As a Potential Climate Solution. Ardent Proponents, and Skeptics, Abound
Warming Trends: Carbon-Neutral Concrete, Climate-Altered Menus and Olympic Skiing in Vanuatu
Our final thoughts on the influencer industry