Death of 'Friends' Star Matthew Perry: Doctor Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison

The doctor who contributed to Matthew Perry's ketamine addiction, the actor from the famous series 'Friends' who died from an overdose in October 2023, was sentenced to 30 months in prison on Wednesday.

Dr. Salvador Plasencia is one of the key figures responsible for this tragedy, for which five individuals are being prosecuted.

He did not supply the ketamine that killed the actor, who was found unconscious in his jacuzzi at the age of 54, but he admitted to having sold the actor about twenty vials of this highly regulated anesthetic in the weeks leading up to his death.

He faced up to 40 years in prison and had promised to voluntarily relinquish his medical license.

In a written statement submitted to the court, the actor's mother, Suzanne Perry, and her husband, Keith Morrison, expressed that the doctor had failed in his duty.

"Matthew's recovery depended on you saying no," they wrote.

"Serious mistakes"

"He is not a villain. He is someone who made serious errors in his medical decisions regarding the unauthorized use of ketamine," said the doctor's attorneys in a statement.

"The mistakes he made during the 13 days he treated Mr. Perry will haunt him forever," wrote Karen Goldstein and Debra White.

According to the prosecution, Mr. Plasencia facilitated the "exploitation" of Matthew Perry after the star relapsed into his addiction problems in the fall of 2023.

"I wonder how much this idiot will pay," Mr. Plasencia wrote to another doctor from whom he sourced ketamine, according to a text message uncovered by investigators.

The vials cost around $12 to the involved doctors but were resold for "$2,000" to the actor, according to authorities.

Matthew Perry initially took ketamine under supervised conditions as part of therapy sessions for depression. However, this legal anesthetic, misused by many partygoers for its stimulating or euphoric properties, gradually led to his addiction.

Within the small network that exploited the actor's weaknesses, Dr. Plasencia acted "without a legitimate medical purpose," according to the prosecution. He sometimes injected the ketamine himself into the actor at his home.

During one of these appointments, Matthew Perry's "blood pressure skyrocketed, causing paralysis" for the comedian, according to the investigation. An episode that did not prevent the doctor from leaving several additional vials with the star's assistant.

"Queen of Ketamine"

A second doctor, the star's personal assistant, an intermediary, and a dealer are also being prosecuted.

All have agreed to plead guilty and are expected to be sentenced in the next two months.

The sentence reserved for the dealer, Jasveen Sangha, is expected next Wednesday and will be closely watched. Known in Hollywood circles as the "queen of ketamine," this American-British jet-setter sold the vial that killed Matthew Perry.

The comedian's death, who had publicly spoken about his addiction issues, shocked his fans and sparked a wave of tributes in Hollywood.

In 'Friends' (1994-2004), he left a mark on an entire generation of viewers by portraying Chandler, the jokester in the joyful group of New York friends followed by the series.

But off-camera, his struggles plunged him into drug and alcohol dependence.

In his memoir published in 2022, he revealed that he had undergone 65 rehab sessions, spending over nine million dollars.

He had also undergone several surgeries related to his drug addiction issues, including a colon operation in 2018, even stating: "I should be dead."