Los Angeles, CA – ahead of sentencing scheduled around 1400 ET, the parents of actor Matthew Perry have delivered scathing victim impact statements urging a significant prison sentence for Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who pleaded guilty to charges related to Perry’s death. Perry, 54, best known for his role as Chandler Bing on Friends, died in October 2023 following a long struggle with depression and drug addiction.
Plasencia, also known as “Dr. P,” faces a maximum of 40 years in prison, tho prosecutors have requested a three-year sentence. He is one of five individuals who pleaded guilty in a multiyear federal investigation into how Perry acquired ketamine through an underground drug network in Hollywood.
john and Debbie Perry, Matthew’s father and stepmother, wrote in their statement, “Matthew’s recovery counted on you saying NO. Your motives? I can’t imagine. A doctor whose life is devoted to helping people?”
Suzanne and Keith Morrison, Perry’s mother and stepfather, highlighted text messages from court records where Plasencia referred to Perry as a “moron” and inquired about his willingness to pay for drugs. They stated, “Sometimes it’s a little easier to understand when a person commits a terrible crime…But…a doctor? Who trades on respect, and trust?” They also noted Perry was planning a career comeback.
Court documents reveal Plasencia allegedly injected Perry with ketamine at his home and in the parking lot of an aquarium in Long Beach, approximately 25 miles south of Los Angeles. He also allegedly instructed Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, who also pleaded guilty, on how to administer the drug and sold additional vials for home use.
Between september 30, 2023, and October 12, 2023, prosecutors say Plasencia sold Perry and Iwamasa twenty 5ml (100mg/ml) vials of ketamine, ketamine lozenges, and syringes.
Prosecutors allege Plasencia and others exploited Perry’s addiction for financial gain. Perry had been receiving legally prescribed ketamine to treat his depression but began seeking quantities beyond his prescriptions, leading him to multiple doctors and a woman dubbed the “Ketamine Queen” who operated a “drug-selling emporium” from her los Angeles home. Ketamine is a drug with hallucinogenic effects intended for administration only by a physician.
