Matthew Perry’s Doctor Pleads Guilty Amid Investigations Into Death

Matthew Perry’s death in October 2023 shook fans around the world, especially as the cause was ruled to be a drug overdose. The late actor has assured the public of being clean of drugs in his memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, hence the shock upon learning he was actively back on them.

The sitcom star was found dead with lethal amounts of ketamine in his system, leading to further investigation as to how he accessed the drug. Per the latest reports, a certain Mark Chavez was the doctor responsible for providing the drug to Perry before his passing.

Matthew Perry’s doctor pleads guilty

Dr. Chavez from San Diego was also accused of arranging an additional shipment of big vials of ketamine to an excited Perry. They had previously met at the Long Beach Aquarium parking lot, where Chavez administered some of it to Perry. The 54-year-old medic is one of five to be accused of Perry’s demise.

Others involved include Dr. Salvador Plasencia, Jasveen Sangh, who is called the “Ketamine Queen,” Erik Fleming, and Perry’s live-in assistant Kenneth Iwamasa. Kenneth helped Perry with injections just before his passing and will be facing up to 15 years in jail after pleading guilty in court.

The drug chain

Those charged apparently worked hand-in-hand to provide Perry with his craving, as Chavez was responsible for diverting large quantities of the drug from his former clinic to Salvador, who would then pass it to Perry. Having admitted to his part in the deal, Chavez will likely spend up to 10 years in federal prison.

Salvador, on the other hand, pleaded not guilty to the conspiracy charge and will be tried on October 15. Jasveen did the same and has her trial scheduled for October 8. The defendants’ medical careers are at risk, as Chavez has now entered an interim suspension of his medical license.