NBC/NBCUniversal via Getty Images Matthew Perry died of a ketamine overdose on October 28, 2023. A photo of the Friends star in 1995.
NBC / NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Matthew Perry died of a ketamine overdose on October 28, 2023. A photo of the Friends star actor in 1995.
UNITED STATES – A new chapter has opened in the case surrounding the death of Matthew Perry. Dr. Mark Chavez, a Los Angeles physician accused of providing the ketamine responsible for the actor’s fatal overdose, « Friends »saw his right to practice revoked this Friday, August 30. The 54-year-old professional has indeed agreed to plead guilty in this case.
Mark Chavez intends to acknowledge that he illegally helped provide the actor, who played Chandler in the cult series, with ketamine, the drug that caused his overdose. His death, in his jacuzzi in October 2023, had shocked fans of “ Friends » and sparked a flood of tributes in Hollywood.
“He feels enormous remorse, not only because it happened to Matthew Perry, but also because it happened to a patient,” Mark Chavez’s attorney, Matthew Binninger, said outside court as the doctor stood by his side, the agency reported. AP News. “He is doing everything in his power to cooperate and help resolve this situation,” he added.
When asked what he and Mark Chavez would say to Matthew Perry’s family, the attorney said: “I’m afraid I can’t answer that question, other than we’re incredibly sorry that someone lost their life. It doesn’t matter that he was a celebrity, and I know he was incredibly loved by everyone. What happened is a real shame.”
Trial scheduled for October
Prosecutors say the doctor could face up to 10 years in prison. Another doctor, Salvador Plasencia, is also named in the case. He is accused of buying ketamine from Mark Chavez and selling it to Matthew Perry at a much higher price.
Finally, a third individual is mentioned: Jasveen Sangha, nicknamed “the queen of ketamine”is accused of providing the fatal dose that led to the actor’s death.
The defendants are scheduled to go to trial in October. Dr. Mark Chavez is expected to plead guilty to avoid trial, as are two others involved in the case.
“Unscrupulous” doctors
The involvement of these doctors in the case had shed light on the toxic relationships that certain Hollywood celebrities have with the doctors responsible for managing their addictions.
Ketamine, sometimes diverted for stimulant or euphoric purposes, was taken by the actor in a supervised manner as part of therapy sessions for depression. But when an increase in dosage was refused, the actor fell back into addiction in the fall of 2023, according to the federal prosecutor’s office, and turned to dealers and unscrupulous doctors.
A US drug enforcement official had called Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez doctors “ “unscrupulous” who have “ violated the oath” of Hippocrates.
A true cultural phenomenon broadcast between 1994 and 2004, “ Friends » marked a generation of viewers, telling the adventures of a group of happy friends in New York. But behind the scenes, Matthew Perry has long hidden a malaise behind his jovial character of Chandler. He had long struggled with his addiction to medication and alcohol.
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