Physician to face sentencing on Wednesday for giving lethal ketamine to Matthew Perry

Dec. 3 A Los Angeles court will sentence a doctor on Wednesday who admitted earlier this year to supplying ketamine to the late actor Matthew Perry. Dr. Salvador Plasencia is among five individuals found guilty in connection with Perrys 2023 fatal ketamine overdose.

The 54-year-old actor was discovered unresponsive in a hot tub at his Pacific Palisades residence and could not be revived. An autopsy revealed that Perry's death resulted from a ketamine overdose. He initially used the drug to manage depression and anxiety, but in the weeks before his passing, he reportedly increased his usage to six to eight injections daily.

Plasencia, who pleaded guilty to four counts of ketamine distribution in June, is the first of the five convicted to face sentencing, according to ABC News. Each count carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison, with the hearing scheduled for 11 a.m. PST in federal court in Los Angeles.

The doctor ran an urgent care clinic in Malibu and admitted to collaborating with another physician, Dr. Mark Chavez, to provide ketamine to Perry through his assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa. In his plea deal, Plasencia acknowledged distributing 20 vials of ketamine, part of a package of ketamine lozenges, and syringes. He personally visited Perry at his home and at least one other location to administer the drug and left supplies with the actors assistant despite knowing he was untrained.

Federal prosecutors stated that Plasencia was motivated by profit and aimed to become Perry's exclusive ketamine supplier. They cited messages in which Plasencia referred to Perry in derogatory terms while discussing the potential profit.

Perrys parents submitted statements describing the doctor as among the most culpable in their sons death. In their letter, they expressed the depth of their grief and the sense of loss caused by Plasencias actions.

Author: Lucas Grant