LA police investigation Matthew Perry’s death
Los Angeles police said Tuesday that detectives and federal agents are investigating the death of “friend” star Matt Perry.
Dr. Salvador Placencia, a doctor charged with the death of actor Matthew Perry along with four others, pleaded guilty to his role in substance abuse that contributed to the tragic path of the “friend” star.
Placencia, also known as “Dr. P,” sued on June 16th for the distribution of four counts of ketamine. Doctors face up to 40 years in prison for crime.
As part of the plea agreement, Placencia admitted to Perry “deliberately dispensing ketamine” before his death in 2023, acting outside of “outside the scope of professional practice” and acknowledging that drug distribution lacks “justified medical purposes.”
USA Today contacted Plasencia’s attorneys for comment.
In addition to prison time, other conditions of Placencia’s sentence can include release for a three-year supervision period, a $2,000,000 fine (or “twice the total profit or total loss arising from the crime”), and a mandatory special rating of $400.
In August 2024, Placencia was indicted along with Jasbeen Sanga. Jasben Sangha faced 18 criminal numbers by the Justice Department, formerly known as the “Queen of Ketamine” in North Hollywood, “distributed ketamine to Perry in the last week of the actor’s life.”
Other co-conspirators appointed in the case were Perry’s live-in assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, Dr. Mark Chavez and Eric Fleming, the latter being said to be an acquaintance of Perry.
Best known for his role as the wise Chandler Bin in “Friends,” Perry passed away in October 2023 at the age of 54 after the actor was found dead in a jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home. The drug-related nature of Perry’s death prompted a drastic investigation in May 2024 by several US agencies, including the Los Angeles Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Bureau.
An autopsy report released in December 2023 revealed that Perry’s death was an accident and the cause was “acute effects of ketamine.” Contributing factors were the effects of drudgery, coronary artery disease, and buprenorphine.
Investigators detail Salvador Placencia’s involvement in Matthew Perry’s death
Following the release of Placencia’s charges in August 2024, Anne Milgram, the administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, said in a statement that the doctor and his co-defendants, who previously owned emergency care at Clinic Malibu Canyon, “have a key role in fulfilling Perry’s death and selling, selling or injecting it.”
“Matthew Perry’s journey began with an uncruel doctor who abused his position of trust, as he considered him payday.
According to a DOJ news release published at the time, Placencia learned that Perry was interested in getting ketamine in September 2023. The Emmy Award-nominated actor paid Placencia thousands of dollars for various drug restocks, according to a plea deal on June 16th.
The California doctor enlisted at Chavez, which ran the Ketamine Clinic, and obtained anesthetics and sold them to Perry. Investigators said Placencia texted Chavez with “how much this idiot will pay?” and “Let’s see.”
For each investigator, October 28, 2023 – The day Perry passed away – his live-in assistant, Iwamoto, injected Ketamine into Perry. The ketamine used in Perry’s death was sold by Fleming and Sanga, officials claiming, and administered instructions and syringes provided by Placencia.
Placencia was informed that his ketamine addiction was “out of control” at least a week before Perry’s death, but Placencia is said to have sold the drugs to Iwatani. Sangha is then allegedly texted Fleming to “delete all messages” after news of Perry’s death came out.
If you or someone you know can help you fight substance abuse addiction, contact the National Helpline of the Department of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Contributions: Kimmi Robinson, Taiwan Muolman and Jay Stahl, USA Today