Matthew Perry's doctor will plead guilty distributing the drug to the actor
Dr. Salvador Plasencia will be prosecuted for supplying ketamine to the late actor Matthew Perry, who was struggling with depression.
Dr. Salvador Plasencia was charged with giving deceased actor Matthew Perry ketamine, a drug that has depression on its list of secondary effects. Now, Dr. Plasencia will plead guilty, according to the authorities, and he is expected to enter the plea in the coming weeks.
The doctor and a woman, Jasmine Sangha, were accused of being ketamine dealers, and the investigations focused on them. Plasencia gave the medicine to Perry in the same month as the actor's overdose, leading to his death. The other three defendants in the case have agreed to plead guilty.
How did Plasencia and Perry know each other?
Matthew Perry was seeking more ketamine than his previous doctor would give him. A month before his death, the actor found Plasencia, who was willing to supply him as much as the Friends star wanted. The doctor allegedly asked his colleague, Mark Chavez, to obtain the medicine for him. That, at least, is according to Chavez's declarations in his own case.
Then, Plasencia texted his accomplice, "I wonder how much this moron will pay," according to court filings from prosecutors. After selling the drugs to Perry for $4,500, on the same day the actor died, they agreed to continue the operation after becoming Perry's personal administrators for the ketamine.
Matthew Perry was known for his beloved character, Chandler Bing, on Friends. Photo: EFE News
Matthew Perry's death
On October 28, 2023, Matthew Perry was found dead by his assistant. He was using ketamine for a non-medical authorized treatment for depression, a common treatment for the condition. The actor was found in his personal jacuzzi, and the main cause of death was an overdose of ketamine.
Perry is remembered for his main role on Friends, the 1990s show where he played Chandler Bing. Despite the joy and pranks that characterized his beloved character, behind the curtain, Perry was struggling with depression, anxiety, and drug addiction. For that reason, he left his work in Hollywood but wrote a book named Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, talking about his fight over the years.
