The Los Angeles doctor suspected of being linked to the ketamine overdose death of actor Matthew Perry, star of the television series “Friends,” pleaded guilty Wednesday in a California court. He faces up to 10 years in prison.
The doctor admitted to illegally helping provide ketamine to the actor. This professional, who was banned from practicing medicine, thus avoids a trial. His sentencing will take place on April 2, 2025. The doctor is one of the five suspects involved in the actor’s death, according to American justice.
The death of Matthew Perry, found unconscious in his jacuzzi in October 2023, shocked “Friends” fans and sparked a shower of tributes in Hollywood. The actor had spoken publicly about his addiction issues.
>> Reread: Actor Matthew Perry’s death was triggered by ketamine use
The actor was taking ketamine supervised as part of therapy sessions for depression. But this legal anesthetic is sometimes diverted for stimulating or euphoric purposes and it fell back into addiction in the fall of 2023, according to the federal prosecutor’s office. This relapse pushed him into the clutches of “unscrupulous” doctors, authorities say.
Another doctor accused
According to the investigation, another doctor had a much more important role in feeding Matthew Perry’s addiction. It was he who organized the “exploitation” of the sick actor, according to the DEA, the American federal anti-drug agency.
“I wonder how much this moron will pay,” this doctor wrote in September 2023, in an SMS unearthed by the investigation. After the death of Matthew Perry, he “falsified medical records” to try to legitimize his action, according to the prosecution.
He is due to stand trial in March and has pleaded not guilty. He faces up to 120 years in prison.
Ketamine resold for “2000 dollars”
The vials of ketamine cost the doctors involved around $12, but were sold for “$2,000” to the actor.
The other defendant at the center of the case is a drug dealer known in Hollywood. This woman sold the bottle of ketamine that killed the actor and faces life imprisonment. She is also scheduled to go to trial in March and has pleaded not guilty.
Matthew Perry’s personal assistant and an intermediary are also being prosecuted.
>> Read also: Five people arrested in connection with death of Matthew Perry
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