Five individuals, including Matthew Perry’s assistant and two doctors, are facing charges related to the actor’s death from a ketamine overdose last year, as per federal prosecutor Martin Estrada.
The charges were announced by Estrada on Thursday, revealing that the doctors administered large doses of ketamine to Perry, even discussing in text messages how much the former “Friends” star would be willing to pay.
Estrada stated that these defendants exploited Perry’s addiction issues for their own gain, fully aware that their actions were unethical.
Perry passed away in October from a ketamine overdose after receiving multiple injections from his personal assistant on the day of his death.
Two individuals, including one of the accused doctors, have been arrested. Two defendants, including Perry’s assistant, have already pleaded guilty, while a third person has agreed to do the same.
The prosecutor detailed that following Perry’s death, the defendants exchanged messages attributing ketamine as the cause of death and attempted to conceal their involvement in providing Perry with the drug.
An investigation involving the Los Angeles police, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service was initiated to understand why Perry had a significant amount of surgical anesthetic in his system.
Perry was discovered unresponsive in a hot tub on October 28, and despite paramedics’ efforts, he was pronounced dead.
The autopsy report released in December indicated that the ketamine levels in Perry’s blood were consistent with those used in general anesthesia during surgery, despite his recent ketamine infusion therapy.
Although Perry had been treated by both a psychiatrist and an anesthesiologist acting as his general practitioner, no illegal drugs were found at his residence. Ketamine was identified as the primary cause of death, with accidental drowning and other medical issues as contributing factors.
Matthew Perry, renowned for his role as Chandler Bing on “Friends,” battled addiction for years, with the tragedy shedding light on the complexities of substance abuse and medical treatment.
