One of the doctors implicated in the death of Matthew Perry, star of “Friends”, pleaded guilty this Wednesday, October 2, after reaching an agreement for “conspiracy to distribute ketamine”.
An agreement to plead guilty and avoid a heavy sentence. Doctor Mark Chavez, accused in the tragic overdose death of Matthew Perry, pleaded guilty on Wednesday October 2 to illegally distributing ketamine, a surgical anesthetic, to the “Friends” star.
This 54-year-old professional admitted to having illegally contributed to providing ketamine to the actor, who played Chandler in the cult series. Banned from practicing medicine, he thus avoided a trial and risks up to 10 years of imprisonment according to the federal prosecutor’s office.
The defendant signed a deal with prosecutors in August, admitting he obtained ketamine from his former clinic and a wholesaler through a fraudulent prescription. After his appearance in federal court in Los Angeles (United States), he risks up to 10 years in prison.
Reduced sentences for those who plead guilty
Mark Chavez became the third person to plead guilty after the star’s fatal overdose last year, after his assistant, who admitted to injecting him with ketamine, and a drug dealer who acted as intermediate.
In exchange for their cooperation, prosecutors reduced the charges against them, targeting two other key figures: Dr. Salvador Plasencia, accused of illegally selling ketamine to Mathew Perry a month before his death, and Jasveen Sangha, nicknamed the “ketamine queen”, suspected of having provided the fatal dose. Both have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial in March.
Matthew Perry died at the age of 54 on October 28, 2023 from the “acute effects” of ketamine, which he used as part of a legal, but unapproved, treatment for depression.
Related News :