Following the arrest of five people in connection with the death of “Friends” star Matthew Perry, one of two accused doctors has admitted his guilt in court. The 54-year-old doctor from San Diego pleaded guilty in Los Angeles to having procured the anesthetic ketamine for Perry, as US media consistently reported. The sentence is expected to be announced in April.
The judge responsible had previously banned him from continuing to work as a doctor. The man is released after paying bail. He faces a prison sentence of up to ten years.
His client is incredibly remorseful, the doctor’s lawyer recently said. He wants to do the right thing and cooperate with the public prosecutor. According to the indictment, the doctor from San Diego is said to have sold a colleague in Los Angeles a large amount of ketamine for Perry using, among other things, a forged prescription.
Accusations against doctors and dealers
In mid-August, police and public prosecutors made serious allegations against five people arrested, including doctors, dealers and an assistant to the actor. The manhunt centered on the question of how the actor got hold of the anesthetic ketamine, which he had in unusually high levels in his blood at the time of his death. The investigation “uncovered a widespread criminal underground network,” said public prosecutor Martin Estrada. The defendants exploited Perry’s addiction problems to enrich themselves.
The main defendants are a doctor in Los Angeles and a drug supplier known as the “ketamine queen” who are said to have obtained large quantities of ketamine from Perry on the black market last fall. Both have pleaded not guilty. The trial against her is scheduled for 2025.
An assistant to the actor has already admitted his guilt of obtaining ketamine for Perry and injecting him with the drug without medical knowledge. He faces up to 15 years in prison. The sentence is due to be imposed in November.
Perry’s tragic death
Perry, 54, was found dead in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home last October. The actor had previously spoken publicly about his struggle with addiction problems. He had reportedly undergone ketamine therapy under medical supervision for depression and anxiety. He is also said to have obtained the drug on the black market.
Ketamine has been a proven anesthetic for decades. Some partygoers also use the drug as an illegal club drug. Likewise, people with treatment-resistant depression can be treated with ketamine under certain conditions.
