LOS ANGELES: A doctor charged in connection with the drug-related death of actor Matthew Perry has pleaded guilty to supplying the “Friends” star with ketamine. Salvador Plasencia, 43, admitted to four counts of distribution in a federal court hearing on Wednesday.
Plasencia, one of five individuals charged over Perry’s death, faces up to 40 years in prison when sentenced on December 3. He will also surrender his medical license. His attorney, Karen Goldstein, stated that Plasencia deeply regrets his actions.
“Dr. Plasencia is profoundly remorseful for the treatment decisions he made while providing ketamine to Matthew Perry,“ Goldstein said. “He is fully accepting responsibility... acknowledging his failure to protect Mr. Perry, a patient who was especially vulnerable due to addiction.”
Prosecutors revealed that Plasencia did not administer the fatal dose but supplied Perry with ketamine in the weeks leading up to his death. Another doctor, Mark Chavez, had previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute the drug.
Text messages presented in court showed Plasencia mocking the situation, writing, “I wonder how much this moron will pay.” Meanwhile, Jasveen Sangha, dubbed the “Ketamine Queen,“ faces charges for allegedly selling Perry the lethal dose. She has denied the allegations.
Perry, who battled addiction for years, was found dead in his Los Angeles home in October 2023. An autopsy confirmed high levels of ketamine in his system. The actor had been using the drug under medical supervision for depression but reportedly developed an addiction.
His struggles were detailed in his 2022 memoir, where he admitted to multiple relapses despite claiming sobriety since 2001. The case continues to unfold as legal proceedings advance against other defendants. - AFP
