The Shocking Details Surrounding the Death of Matthew Perry
An autopsy revealed that the amount of ketamine in Perry’s blood at the time of his death was within the range used for general anesthesia in surgery.
A prosecutor said that five people have been charged in connection with the actor Matthew Perry’s death from a ketamine overdose last year, including the actor’s assistant and two doctors.
Federal prosecutor Martin Estrada announced the charges on Thursday, stating that the doctors provided Perry with a large amount of ketamine and even discussed in a text message how much the former “Friends” star would be willing to pay.
“These defendants took advantage of Mr. Perry’s addiction issues to enrich themselves. They knew what they were doing was wrong,” said Estrada.
Perry died in October due to a ketamine overdose and received multiple injections of the drug on the day of his death from his personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, who later found Perry dead.
Estrada said that two of the individuals, including one of the accused doctors, have been arrested. One doctor is from Santa Monica and the other from San Diego.
Two of the accused, including Iwamasa, have already pleaded guilty to the charges, and a third person has agreed to plead guilty.
Perry was found unconscious in the jacuzzi of his Los Angeles home in October 2023.
An autopsy, released in December, determined that the amount of ketamine in Perry’s blood at the time of his death was within the range used for general anesthesia during surgery. The drug is sometimes used to treat depression.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office said in the autopsy report that Perry also drowned in “the heated end of his pool,” but it was a secondary factor in his death, considered an accident.
According to the actor’s autopsy, individuals close to Perry told investigators that he was receiving ketamine infusion therapy, an experimental treatment used for depression and anxiety.
But the medical examiner said that his last treatment, a week and a half before, did not explain the levels of ketamine in Perry’s blood. The drug is typically metabolized within hours.
Ketamine was the primary cause of death, determined to be an accident without suspicion of foul play, according to the report. Drowning and other medical issues were subsequent factors.
In May, the Los Angeles Police Department opened an investigation into the death, in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, to determine why Perry had so much ketamine in his system when he died.
Perry rose to fame as Chandler Bing in the sitcom “Friends” from 1994 to 2004, becoming one of television’s most recognizable actors.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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