Matthew Perry doctor pleads guilty over Friend actor's fatal ketamine overdose

Dr. Mark Chavez has pleaded guilty after being charged in the overdose death of the Friends actor Matthew Perry last October when he was found dead aged 54

A doctor charged over Matthew Perry's death has pleaded guilty for providing him deadly ketamine.

Dr. Mark Chavez is one of two California doctors who were among the five people charged in the overdose death of the Friends actor. Chavez entered the guilty plea on Wednesday in a federal court in Los Angeles.

The 54-year-old is the third person to accept charges following the death of Friends star Perry, who died on October 28 last year from the “acute effects of ketamine” at the age of 54. US District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett scheduled a sentence hearing for April 2 2025.

Chavez, who is free on a 50,000 dollar (£37,600) bond, exited the courtroom with his lawyer. In his plea agreement, Chavez admitted to selling ketamine to another doctor, Salvador Plasencia, from Santa Monica, having diverted it from his former ketamine clinic.

Plasencia is set to face a trial on March 4 next year, after allegedly using Perry’s live-in assistant Kenneth Iwamasa to distribute ketamine to the actor from September to October last year for 55,000 dollars (£43,000).

Perry, 54, was found dead in a hot tub at his California home in October 2023. Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office attributed Perry's death to the acute effects of ketamine. Perry had been seeking treatment for depression and anxiety when he became addicted to intravenous ketamine last autumn.

The actor's personal assistant, two doctors and several others, including one described by prosecutors as the 'Ketamine Queen', have been indicted for providing ketamine. Government lawyers have claimed Perry’s personal assistant and an acquaintance had worked with two physicians and a drug dealer to obtain thousands of dollars worth of ketamine for the star.

Chavez appeared at U.S. District Court in Los Angeles at 10 a.m. local time (1700 GMT) to enter his plea. At sentencing, he could face up to 10 years in prison. Another doctor charged in the case, Dr Salvador Plasencia, has pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and was released on a $100,000 bond.

An indictment filed in federal court detailed grand jury charges against Jasveen Sangha, who prosecutors said was known as “the Ketamine Queen,” and Salvador Plasencia, known as “Dr P” Sangha maintained a “stash house” in North Hollywood. Authorities said Plasencia, 42, conspired with fellow doctor Dr Chavez, 54, to supply Perry with ketamine, allegedly writing in a message: "I wonder how much this moron will pay" and "let's find out".

Plasencia allegedly used Perry's live-in assistant Kenneth Iwamasa to distribute approximately 20 vials of ketamine to the actor over a two-month period from September to October 2023 "in exchange for 55,000 dollars" (£43,000). Perry, who played Chandler Bing in hit US sitcom Friends, died aged 54 from the "acute effects of ketamine" on October 28 last year – after receiving several injections from Iwamasa.

Iwamasa, 59, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute ketamine causing death – admitting to "repeatedly injecting Perry with ketamine without medical training". Plasencia's trial date is scheduled for March 4 next year, as decreed by District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett, based on court papers accessed by the PA news desk.

He will share the dock with purported drug trafficker Jasveen Sangha dubbed by law enforcement as "the ketamine queen" who allegedly exchanged ketamine worth $11,000 (£8,553) for cash with Perry. Sangha entered a plea of not guilty on charges of conspiracy to distribute ketamine; maintaining a drug-related premise; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute ketamine, along with five counts of distributing the substance.

Plasencia was set to appear before the courts on October 8, while Sangha had a date for October 15. However, a California judge has decided that both will stand trial together on March 4, their pre-trial hearing penciled in for February 19, 2025.

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