Matthew Perry Nick Rood/Younger Hollywood/Getty Photographs
Two months after Matthew Perry died at age 54 in October 2023, his demise was dominated an accident. That ruling proved to be removed from the top of the story.
A December 2023 toxicology report concluded that Perry died from “the acute results of ketamine.” The report famous that Perry had been receiving common ketamine infusions to deal with melancholy and anxiousness, however his final infusion had taken place greater than per week earlier than his demise. The discrepancy left room for questions on how and why Perry had ketamine in his system when he died.
In Could 2024, the Los Angeles Police Division confirmed that they’d opened an investigation into Perry’s demise. Three months later, 5 people – Dr. Salvador Plasencia, Jasveen Sangha, Kenneth Iwamasa, Erik Fleming and Dr. Mark Chavez – had been hit with various federal costs, together with conspiracy to distribute ketamine inflicting demise.
Maintain scrolling for an entire timeline of the investigation of Perry’s demise:
September 30, 2023
In keeping with court docket paperwork obtained by Us Weekly in August 2024, “after studying” that Perry “was all in favour of acquiring ketamine,” Plasencia allegedly contacted Chavez about buying the drug “in order that he might promote the ketamine” to the actor. The docs additionally alleged that Plasencia texted Chavez, “I’m wondering how a lot this moron pays” for the substance.
After Chavez bought Plasencia, a licensed doctor, “at the least 4 vials of liquid ketamine, ketamine lozenges,” syringes and gloves, the docs alleged that Plasencia left the drug with Perry’s former private assistant Iwamasa and taught him the best way to inject ketamine so he might administer it to Perry.
October 2, 2023
Iwamasa despatched Plasencia a textual content message requesting to buy extra vials of ketamine.
That very same day, Plasencia texted Chavez asking for extra ketamine to promote to Perry.
October 8-10, 2023
Plasencia bought quite a few vials of ketamine to Iwamasa, and met with each him and Perry at a number of places, together with Lengthy Seashore, California, the place Plasencia allegedly injected Perry with the substance whereas they had been in a automobile.
The docs additionally acknowledged that on October 10, Iwamasa contacted Fleming to buy extra vials of ketamine. Fleming then texted Sangha, a.ok.a. “The Ketamine Queen,” to acquire the medicine.
October 14, 2023
After delivering samples of ketamine to Iwamasa and Perry at his residence the day prior, Fleming allegedly drove to Perry’s residence to acquire the funds for the medicine. Fleming then drove to Sangha’s “stash home” and purchased 25 vials. He then drove again to Perry’s home and delivered the medicine, in response to the docs.
October 23, 2023
Iwamasa texted Fleming asking to buy extra ketamine, allegedly asking by way of textual content, “Can we do the identical as final time over the subsequent two days?”
Fleming then traveled to Perry’s residence to choose up money from Iwamasa.
October 24, 2023
Fleming allegedly purchased one other 25 vials of ketamine from Sangha, then drove again to Perry’s residence to drop off the medicine.
October 25-27
Courtroom docs alleged that Iwamasa administered Perry “at the least” six injections of ketamine on October 25, October 26 and October 27.
October 28, 2023
Perry was discovered unresponsive in a sizzling tub at his Los Angeles residence. He was pronounced lifeless later that day.
In paperwork obtained by Us, it was alleged that Iwamasa injected Perry with “a number of doses of ketamine he obtained” from Fleming and Sangha, “ensuing within the demise and critical bodily damage” of the late actor. The docs additionally alleged that Plasencia offered the syringes.
That very same day, Sangha instructed Fleming to “distance themselves from promoting ketamine” to Perry, together with deleting digital proof on their cell telephones.
October 30, 2023
Fleming allegedly texted Sangha asking how lengthy ketamine stays in somebody’s system since a “three month tox screening” can be carried out on Perry.
December 2023
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s workplace launched a toxicology report concluding that Perry died from “the acute results of ketamine.” The actor’s demise was dominated an accident, with drowning, coronary artery illness and the consequences of buprenorphine (which is used to deal with opioid use) listed as contributing components.
Could 2024
The Los Angeles Police Division confirmed that they’d opened an investigation into Perry’s demise, focusing particularly on how Perry obtained the ketamine present in his system when he died.
August 15, 2024
The U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace for the Central District of California shared a press release saying that Dr. Salvador Plasencia, a licensed doctor, and Jasveen Sangha, a.ok.a. “The Ketamine Queen,” an alleged drug seller, had been arrested on August 15 in reference to Perry’s demise. Each Plasencia and Sangha had been charged with one depend of conspiracy to distribute ketamine.
Sangha was additionally charged with one depend of sustaining a drug-involved premises, one depend of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one depend of possession with intent to distribute ketamine and 5 counts of distribution of ketamine; whereas Plasencia was additionally charged with seven counts of distribution of ketamine and two counts of altering and falsifying paperwork or data associated to the federal investigation.
The press launch additionally named three different people who had been individually charged in connection to Perry’s demise: Iwamasa, his acquaintance Fleming, and Dr. Chavez, one other doctor.
Fleming pleaded responsible on August 8 to 1 depend of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one depend of distribution of ketamine leading to demise. In keeping with the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace for the Central District of California, Fleming admitted in court docket paperwork that he distributed the ketamine that killed Perry.
Iwamasa pleaded responsible on August 7 to 1 depend of conspiracy to distribute ketamine inflicting demise, and admitted to repeatedly injecting Perry with ketamine with out medical coaching, together with on the day he died. Chavez has agreed to plead responsible to 1 depend of conspiracy to distribute ketamine.
United States Legal professional Martin Estrada stated in a press release: “These defendants cared extra about profiting off of Mr. Perry than caring for his well-being. Drug sellers promoting harmful substances are playing with different individuals’s lives over greed. This case, together with our many different prosecutions of drug sellers who trigger demise, ship a transparent message that we are going to maintain drug-dealers accountable for the deaths they trigger.”
August 30, 2024
Chavez, one of many docs arrested in reference to the demise of Perry, appeared in a Los Angeles court docket on Friday, August 30, after reaching a deal to plead responsible and cooperate with prosecutors, in response to the Associated Press. (Although he agreed to plead responsible, he didn’t enter his plea throughout his court docket look, and can accomplish that at a date to be decided at a later time.)
“He’s extremely remorseful,” Chavez’s lawyer, Matthew Binninger stated whereas the physician, who agreed to show over his medical license, stood by his facet. “He’s making an attempt to do the whole lot in his energy to proper the mistaken that occurred right here. He didn’t settle for duty at the moment however solely as a result of it wasn’t on the calendar. He’s doing the whole lot in his energy to cooperate and assist with this example.”
June 16, 2025
Plasencia made a plea take care of the Division of Justice, and faces a most sentence of 40 years in jail, Deadline reported.
“On the earliest alternative requested by the USAO and offered by the Courtroom, seem and plead responsible to Counts Six, Eight, 9, and Ten of the primary superseding indictment in United States v. Salvador Plasencia, which every cost defendant with distribution of ketamine,” the U.S. Legal professional’s workplace for the Central District of California acknowledged in a plea settlement.
As a part of the settlement, the DOJ intends to “suggest a two-level discount within the relevant Sentencing Tips offense degree” to the decide. This advice might presumably cut back Plasencia’s sentence by a number of years.
In the meantime, Chavez and Iwamasa, who beforehand submitted responsible pleas, are because of be sentenced in fall 2025.