Crucial update in Matthew Perry death as doctor who supplied Friends star Ketamine to plead guilty
One of the two doctors that was charged in connection with Matthew Perry's death has agreed to plead guilty, it's been revealed.
Perry, who was best known for playing Chandler Bing on Friends, was found dead in his hot tub in Los Angeles in October 2023. He was just 54 at the time of his death, and had struggled with addiction throughout his adult life. An autopsy report revealed he died from the acute effects of ketamine.
After months of silence in the case, the Department of Justice said on Monday that Dr Salvador Plasencia will plead guilty to four counts of distributing ketamine, reported New York Post.
As a result of his plea, Plasencia could face up to 40 years behind bars if prosecutors hand down the maximum sentence. He originally pleaded not guilty in August 2024.
Plasencia, who operated an urgent care clinic in Malibu, had originally been set to go on trial in August in the case.
His plea agreement follows Dr Mark Chavez, the other doctor charged in the case, who pleaded guilty to distributing ketamine in October 2024.
Perry had been receiving off-label doses of ketamine through his regular doctor to help treat depression but the former prime time star began looking for additional doses from Plasencia, who had asked Chavez to help him find the drug.
According to text messages shared with prosecutors from Chavez, Plasencia called Perry a 'moron' and wondered how much he'd be willing to pay for the drugs.
Plasencia personally injected Perry with the drug at his home and also in the carpark of Long Beach Aquarium. He also taught Perry's assistant to administer the drug.
Perry paid Plasencia US$4,500 (A$5845) for individual doses of the drug, prompting Plasencia to ask Chavez to keep the supply coming so the pair of doctors could be Perry's 'go-to.'
During one instance when Plasencia administered ketamine to Perry at the actor's home he was paid $12,000 for such a visit, according to the plea agreement.
Plasencia is accused of supplying the bulk of Perry's ketamine in his final weeks. However, it's not believed he supplied the dose that killed the actor.
Another defendant, Jasmine Sangha, known as 'the ketamine queen' who prosecutors claim was a major ketamine dealer, is alleged to have been the once responsible for supplying the deadly dose.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Broadway star shades Madonna for rude act while seeing Hamilton: ‘The door's right there'
Anthony Ramos is calling out Madonna for poor theatre etiquette. On Friday's episode of Watch What Happens Live, Ramos played a game of 'Clubhouse of Horrors,' during which host Andy Cohen asked him to name the 'most terrifying celebrity to spot in the audience' when he was performing in Hamilton on Broadway. 'The most terrifying was Madonna with her iPad in her face. She was like this the whole time,' he said, pretending to look down at an iPad. 'I was like, 'Damn, shawty. If you're not enjoying it that much, you know the door's right there. You ain't gotta stay here!'' Ramos was famously part of the original cast of Hamilton, which made its Broadway debut in 2015. The actor, whose work on the musical earned him the 2016 Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album, originated the roles of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical, the entire cast reunited at the 2025 Tony Awards to perform a medley of iconic songs from the play. However, fans were upset that Ramos did not have a solo in the performance. 'That was really nice that people got pissed,' he said on Watch What Happens Lives. But according to the actor, his solo moments were cut because he didn't confirm his attendance until the day before the awards show. 'They weren't even planning on me being there,' he explained. 'They cut that part, they choreographed the whole number and then I texted Lin Saturday morning like, 'Yo, is it too late to join y'all?' He was like, 'Are you serious?' I was like, 'Yeah, I'm serious.' He was like, 'You got a black suit?' I was like, 'Nah, I could get one.'' 'So, they fit me in where I could fit in,' Ramos continued. 'There was a moment for me but they had to take it out because they didn't plan on me being there.'
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Real Housewives star Teresa Giudice abruptly ends live TV interview when asked personal question
Teresa Giudice unceremoniously cut off an interview when asked about tax liens totalling over $US3 million ($4.6 million). In a clip shared via X Friday, the Real Housewives of New Jersey star, 53, fielded questions from local anchor Larry Potash at WGN9 in Chicago during a remote interview. 'How is it that a family doesn't pay their taxes for years?' Potash asked. 'Is that what the fraud charges were?' 'Um, who's – what family are you talking about?' the Bravo star asked, to which he replied, 'Your family.' 'OK,' Giudice said before attempting to end the video stream. 'Let's just hang up. That's it,' she said. Text reading 'Teresa's iPhone' could then be seen on the screen as the call ended. 'She didn't like that question,' marvelled Potash. 'Yeah. Well,' responded his co-anchor in the awkward clip. In an X re-post of the video, Potash quipped, 'In the words of one of our viewers, she evaded that question like …taxes.' Giudice owes $US303,889.20 ($470,000) in tax liens, according to documents obtained by Page Six back in March. Her husband, Louis 'Luis' Ruelas, whom she married in 2022, owes upwards of $US2.6 million ($4 million). The former Dancing With the Stars star was married to Joe Giudice for 20 years before their 2020 split. And prior to that, both served time in prison for mail, wire and bankruptcy fraud. Teresa was behind bars for 11 months in 2015. Joe, meanwhile, spent two years in prison before being released in 2019 and subsequently deported to his birthplace of Italy. The former couple shares daughters Gia, Gabriella, Milania and Audriana. Teresa's lookalike daughter Gia, 24, downplayed the family debt during a March episode of her Casual Chaos iHeart podcast. 'Let's start from the beginning,' she said. 'My mum has been the sole provider for my sisters and I since the minute my father [Joe] left for prison. The second my mum got home from jail, she has been working her arse off to make sure that my sisters and I live a stable life and that my family is financially stable.' Gia continued, saying she 'can't stress enough' how hard her 'mum has worked' and assured her listeners that 'everything will be resolved.' 'My mum has everything under control, and there's nothing to worry about,' she explained.
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Reality star cuts interview short after asked personal question
Reality TV star Teresa Giudice abruptly ends TV interview after quizzed about tax fraud that landed her in jail.
