Doctor Pleads Guilty In Connection To Matthew Perry's Ketamine Overdose Death
By Favour Adegoke on October 2, 2024 at 4:15 PM EDT
Updated on October 2, 2024 at 4:20 PM EDT
Dr. Mark Chavez, implicated in the tragic death of Matthew Perry, has pleaded guilty to charges related to the "Friends" star's fatal overdose death.
Investigations into the cause of Perry's death, which autopsy revealed to be due to Ketamine overdose, implicated about five individuals, including Chavez and the actor's personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa.
Matthew Perry, who played the fan-favorite character Chandler Bing on the hit TV show, was found face down in the jacuzzi at his Pacific Palisades, Calif. home on October 28 of last year.
Dr. Mark Chavez Pleads Guilty In Death Of Matthew Perry
Dr. Chavez pleaded guilty to illegally distributing ketamine during his appearance at the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Wednesday. His plea was accepted by the judge during the hearing.
Despite his plea, Chavez still faces up to 10 years in prison for his crimes, with his sentencing date set for April 2, 2025.
In his plea agreement, Chavez admitted to obtaining ketamine through fraudulent means, including from his former clinic and a wholesale distributor, by submitting a fake prescription.
Chavez's lawyer, Matthew Binninger, previously expressed the doctor's deep remorse, stating, "He's incredibly remorseful. He's trying to do everything in his power to right the wrong that happened here. He didn't accept responsibility today, but only because it wasn't on the calendar."
The attorney also acknowledged the tragedy of Perry's death, noting that the actor was "universally beloved, and it's a shame what happened."
Matthew Perry's Former P.A. Pleaded Guilt
Alongside Dr. Chavez, Perry's former live-in P.A., Kenneth Iwamasa, was implicated in the inquiry into the late actor's cause of death, as he was alleged to have been the person who administered the fatal dosage of the drug that left him for dead.
According to Page Six, Iwamasa confessed that he found Perry "unconscious at his residence on at least two occasions" before he died.
He also explained that on the day Perry died, he injected him around 8:30 a.m. and 12:45 p.m., but that the late actor asked him to prepare his jacuzzi and "shoot [him] up with a big one" just about 40 minutes later.
After he did as his then-boss would have him do, he set out on an errand only to return to Perry's lifeless body.
He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death, noting in his plea agreement that he injected Perry with "significant quantities of ketamine," totaling around "6-8 shots per day," in the days before he died. He faces up to 15 years in prison when sentenced.
Autopsy Report Confirms The Actor Died Of Drug Overdose
Days after Perry died, autopsy reports suggested that his death was accidental and was caused by ketamine overdose with other contributory factors, including drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine.
The actor was understood to be undergoing Ketamine infusion therapy to treat his depression and other health challenges at the time.
However, the documents noted that "the ketamine in his system at death could not be from that infusion therapy," sparking investigations into the source of the ketamine that "ended up playing a part" in his death, per TMZ.
Investigations have since charged culprits in Perry's death, including Iwamasa and Dr. Mark Chavez, as well as Erik Fleming, Dr. Salvador Plasencia, and Jasveen Sangha, who is also known as the "Ketamine Queen."
Money Was A Factor In Their Ketamine Deals With Matthew Perry
According to Page Six, law enforcement said that the five of them aimed to profit from Perry's drug addiction, with U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada saying that the indicted persons "took advantage to profit for themselves" as Perry was seemingly a regular customer.
They noted that Dr. Plasencia "worked" with Iwamasa to "distribute" around 20 vials of the drug to Perry and even taught him how to inject it into the late actor. He also dragged Dr. Chavez into the dubious scheme to make more money from Perry, who reportedly paid the doctors $55,000. Plasencia allegedly texted Chavez, writing, "I wonder how much this moron will pay."
He has pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, seven counts of distribution of ketamine, and two counts of altering and falsifying documents or records related to the investigation.
He faces up to 10 years in prison for each Ketamine-related charge and could be slammed with up to 20 years for each record falsification count. Sangha also pleaded not guilty. The pair are scheduled to go on trial in March.
Fleming, on the other hand, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death.
Jasveen Sangha, The 'Ketamine Queen,' Has Denied Having Any Connections With Matthew Perry
Sangha, aka "Ketamine Queen," faces an 18-count superseding indictment for allegedly supplying the drugs to Perry in the weeks leading up to his death.
According to the Daily Mail, she is charged with conspiracy to distribute ketamine, maintaining drug-related premises, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute ketamine, and five counts of ketamine distribution.
Despite the allegations, Sangha's attorney, Mark Geragos, strongly denied any connection between his client and the late actor.
Speaking on the "Today Show" on Wednesday, Geragos emphasized, "There's no mystery, she isn't connected to Matthew Perry at all. People try to make her out to be something that she isn't, but there's a whole different side here and story to be told and that will be told at her trial."
