Matthew Perry Death: Doctor Who Provided Ketamine To FRIENDS Star Third To Plead Guilty

Matthew Perry Death: The FRIENDS star was found dead at his LA residence on October 28, 2023. While initial investigation ruled out the cause of death as accidental drowning further investigation uncovered other details. The actor was seemingly abusing Ketamine and fell in his batub unconscious due to the overdose of the drug. On Wednesday, a San Diego doctor pled guilty to conspiring to distribute ketamine in the weeks before the actor's death. He can be sentenced to a jail term of up to 10 years.

San Diego doctor pleads guilty in Matthew Perry murder case 

A San Diego doctor became the third person to plead guilty in the case of Matthew Perry ’s fatal drug overdose, as prosecutors collect cooperators in an attempt to convict two bigger targets they say are responsible for the death of the Friends star. Dr Mark Chavez, 54, entered the plea Wednesday to a felony count of conspiring to distribute the surgical anaesthetic ketamine in federal court in Los Angeles, after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors in July.

Chavez agreed to cooperate as the U.S. Attorneys Office pursues more serious charges against Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who prosecutors say gave ketamine directly to Perry. The other major target in the investigation is Jasmine Sangha, an alleged dealer who prosecutors say was known as the “ketamine queen” of Los Angeles and supplied the doses that killed Perry last year. Chavez stood in court with his lawyer and answered dozens of questions from Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett. He agreed to give up his right to trial and other rights.

What punishment is Dr Mark Chavez facing?

Chavez remains free on bond until his April 2 sentencing. He has turned over his passport and agreed to surrender his medical license, among other conditions. The judge told him that she was not bound by any agreement or recommendation and could still sentence him to the full 10 years allowed by law. But he is likely to be sentenced to far less time because of the plea and his cooperation with prosecutors. His lawyer Matthew Binninger spoke only briefly to reporters outside the courthouse.

“Mark entered his plea of guilty and that’s now public record,” Binninger said. “You accept responsibility and then you set sentencing.” Also working with federal prosecutors are Perry’s assistant, who admitted to helping him obtain and inject ketamine, and a Perry acquaintance, who admitted to acting as a drug messenger and middleman. Perry was found dead by his assistant on Oct. 28, 2023. The medical examiner ruled that ketamine was the primary cause of death. The actor had been using the drug through his regular doctor in a legal but off-label treatment for depression that has become increasingly common. Perry began seeking more ketamine than his doctor would give him. Perry struggled with addiction for years, dating back to his time on Friends, when he became one of the biggest stars of his generation as Chandler Bing. He starred alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004 on NBC’s megahit sitcom.

(With inputs from AP News)