Doctor Expected to Plead Guilty in Death of ‘Friends’ Star Matthew Perry, Reports Say

By Lisa Richwine

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – One of the two California doctors charged in connection with the overdose death of "Friends" star Matthew Perry is anticipated to plead guilty on Wednesday to illegally distributing the drug ketamine.

Dr. Mark Chavez has reached an agreement with prosecutors to enter a guilty plea to a single felony count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, a short-acting anesthetic with hallucinogenic effects. He is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles at 10 a.m. local time to formally enter his plea. At sentencing, he could face a maximum of 10 years in prison.

Another physician involved in the case, Dr. Salvador Plasencia, has pleaded not guilty, along with co-defendant Jasveen Sangha, who is alleged to have supplied the drug and was informally referred to as the "ketamine queen." Both are set to go to trial in March.

Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry’s live-in personal assistant who admitted to injecting the actor, along with an alleged middleman who claimed to have obtained ketamine from Sangha, have already pleaded guilty to the charges against them.

Authorities stated that Plasencia purchased ketamine from Chavez. In text messages to Chavez regarding pricing for Perry, Plasencia remarked, "I wonder how much this moron will pay." Plasencia was responsible for administering ketamine to Perry and provided vials that were injected by the assistant, according to court documents.

Perry died at the age of 54 in October 2023 from the acute effects of ketamine and other contributing factors that caused him to lose consciousness and subsequently drown in his hot tub, as detailed in a December 2023 autopsy report.

The actor had openly recognized his long-standing struggles with substance abuse, particularly during his portrayal of Chandler Bing on the beloved 1990s sitcom "Friends."

Matt Binninger, Chavez’s attorney, informed reporters in August that his client was "doing everything in his power to cooperate, to help in this situation."

"He’s incredibly remorseful," Binninger said, adding that Chavez’s feelings of regret were not focused on Perry’s celebrity status, but rather the tragic loss of someone trying to seek help.