Matthew Perry‘s assistant wants the law to go easy on him.

Kenneth Iwamasa, who is steps away from his sentencing for helping the late actor obtain the drugs responsible for his death, and even injecting him, is asking for a light sentence. The accused assistant is facing years in prison, with many fingers pointing at him for aiding and abetting the TV star’s bad habits during his lifetime.

Matthew Perry was declared dead after being found lifeless in his bathtub at his Pacific Palisades home in Los Angeles in 2023. Upon investigation, reports revealed that his death was due to the acute effects of ketamine and eventual drowning. 

Matthew Perry’s Assistant Claims He Could Not ‘Say No’ To The Actor

Iwamasa is asking for some leniency at his upcoming sentencing for the charges tied to the death of the iconic “Friends” actor.

He reportedly told the judge that the basis of his request for a lenient sentence is that he could not “simply say no” to Perry when it came to enabling his drug habit.

According to the court documents obtained by TMZ, Iwamasa, who is scheduled to appear before the court on May 27, disagreed with prosecutors’ arguments that he could have told Perry “no” when he asked for ketamine.

In the filing, the late actor’s assistant stated that he was an employee and “acted at all relevant times at [Matthew’s] direction rather than pursuant to his own discretion.” 

He, however, admitted that his inability to turn Perry’s drug requests down had tragic consequences.

Kenneth Iwamasa’s Legal Counsel Points The Court To Their Personal Relationship

Part of what potentially made it harder for the assistant to turn his back when it came to feeding into Perry’s drug habits was the relationship the pair shared.

Iwamasa’s lawyer said his client’s employment relationship with the late TV star perhaps “enabled him to more readily participate in the conspiracy to distribute drugs to the victim than a man on the street.” 

The attorney also added that “a number of proverbial men on the street did in fact participate in the same conspiracy.”

The accused assistant echoed a similar sentiment in the legal documents, stating that although prosecutors claimed he could have easily said “no” to Perry’s requests, it was not that easy.

He explained that the “rhetoric completely elides [his] particular vulnerability to the relationship dynamic which he fell into with the victim.” 

As previously reported, Iwamasa is facing years in prison for securing ketamine for “The Ron Clark Story” star and even injecting him with the drug on the day he died, October 28, 2023.

The ‘Friends’ Actor’s Mom Said His Assistant Betrayed Their Trust

Perry’s mom, Suzanne Morrison, aired her thoughts to Iwamasa through an emotional letter in a recent court appearance.

The Blast reported that the letter detailed how Morrison felt when the news of her son’s death rang in her ears and the mortuary visit shortly after.

“Helicopters circled overhead, eager for a glimpse of my dead little boy, a picture they could show the whole world while I stood out on the street in the cold and begged for a blanket to cover him. Impossible, of course,” Morrison wrote in the emotional letter.

She went on to reveal that she initially felt at peace when Iwamasa began working closely with Perry because their family had known him for over two decades and had complete trust in him.

Instead of helping him navigate life through his struggles with addiction and maintain sobriety, Iwamasa enabled the late TV star by repeatedly helping him secure drugs.

Morrison added that despite the assistants’ lack of proper qualifications, he helped her son administer the drugs, which later cost his life. “We trusted someone who had no conscience, and my son ultimately paid the price,”  she expressed.

The Late Television Star’s Doctor Had A Hand In His Death

Iwamasa is not the only one faced with the heat of Perry’s tragic death, as his doctor, Salvador Placenscia, is already serving time behind bars for supplying large amounts of ketamine to the actor.

Placenscia reportedly also taught Perry’s assistant how to inject the drug and was sentenced to 2.5 years in jail.

Morrison and her husband, Keith, said that the doctor was  “the most culpable of all” in the actor’s death while expressing their grief. They said that Placenscia’s actions, fueled by greed, resulted in the entertainer’s demise.

“No one alive and in touch with the world at all could have been unaware of Matthew’s struggles. But this doctor conspired to break his most important vows, repeatedly, sneaked through the night to meet his victim in secret,” the Morrisons stated.  

The Blast reported that the actor’s father and stepmother, John and Debby Perry, also voiced out their pain in an emotional statement, slamming the doctor for neglecting his ethical duties.

Matthew Perry’s Sobriety Journey Was A Train Wreck

Perry had been undergoing ketamine infusions as treatment for anxiety and depression, but his last official treatment was over a week before his death.

It was reported that a toxicologist’s report revealed that he died from “acute effects of ketamine,” and investigations that followed shed light on how the fatal dose was obtained.

The late star promoted his 2022 memoir “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” speaking publicly about his struggles with addiction and recovery. However, Charlie Sheen says he believes Perry was not sober while promoting his book.

Sheen pointed out that he could tell from the sound of his voice while listening to the audiobook, highlighting that Perry did not have “that perfect, specific, laser-focused diction that he always had delivering comedy.”

“I could tell he wasn’t sober, talking about a book that is all about sobriety and recovery,” Sheen said, adding that he thought about reaching out to Perry weeks before his death, although they were not close.

Will Matthew Perry’s assistant’s plea be considered?