A physician admitted guilt on Wednesday for administering ketamine to Matthew Perry in the month leading up to the overdose death of the renowned Friends actor. Dr. Salvador Plasencia is the fourth individual out of five charged in connection with Perry’s demise to plead guilty. In federal court in Los Angeles, Plasencia, 43, acknowledged guilt to four counts before Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett.
Initially set for trial in August, Plasencia altered course last month by agreeing to plead guilty to four counts of ketamine distribution. Plasencia expressed profound remorse for his treatment decisions involving Perry, according to his attorney, Debra White. The doctor plans to surrender his medical license voluntarily, recognizing his failure to safeguard Perry, who was particularly vulnerable due to addiction.
Plasencia, who had previously pleaded not guilty, opted for guilty pleas, resulting in prosecutors dismissing three additional ketamine distribution charges and two falsifying records counts. Although Plasencia did not directly provide the fatal dose to Perry, he administered a ketamine injection that caused adverse reactions in the actor. Despite this, Plasencia left more ketamine for Perry’s assistant to administer.
Referred to in court only as “victim MP,” Perry’s case could lead to a maximum prison sentence of 40 years. Plasencia is currently out on bond and will remain so until his sentencing on December 3. His lawyer emphasized the need for stricter oversight in the at-home ketamine industry following the incident, hoping to prevent similar tragedies.
While exiting the courthouse, Plasencia refrained from addressing reporters. The final defendant, Jasveen Sangha, known as the “Ketamine Queen,” faces accusations of providing Perry with the lethal dose and is set for trial next month. Perry’s death was attributed to the primary effects of ketamine, with Plasencia allegedly supplying the actor with a substantial amount of the drug illegally leading up to his demise.
Perry, who battled addiction for years, sought additional ketamine beyond what his doctor prescribed. Plasencia confessed to supplying Perry with multiple ketamine vials and other paraphernalia. The late actor’s struggles with addiction date back to his time on Friends, where he garnered fame portraying Chandler Bing alongside a star-studded cast.