Matthew Perry's assistant sentenced to over 3 years in ketamine death case
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Matthew Perry Photograph: (X)
Matthew Perry's assistant has reportedly been sentenced to three years in prison for his central role in the actor's ketamine overdose death. Read to know more.
It has been more than two years since the world was shocked over the death of Matthew Perry, who became a global phenomenon after his role of Chandler Bing in the show Friends. The Hollywood actor died at the age of 54 in Los Angeles due to a ketamine overdose. In the latest development, the actor's assistant has been sentenced to prison.
Matthew Perry's assistant sentenced to 3 years in prison
Matthew Perry's live-in personal assistant Kenneth Iwamasa was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison for obtaining and repeatedly injecting the actor with ketamine, including the fatal dose that ended Perry's life in October 2023. The US Department of Justice has reported that Kenneth was sentenced by United States District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett, who also fined him $10,000.
Kenneth has pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death and serious bodily injury. He is the fifth and final defendant to be sentenced in connection with Perry's death. Reports suggest that as per the court documents, Kenneth knew Perry since 1992 and became his live-in personal assistant in 2022. In this role, he was paid $150,000 per year and had various responsibilities, including coordinating Perry’s medical care and ensuring that Perry took the medication that he was lawfully prescribed by treating physicians.
In October 2023, Iwamasa had purchased 51 vials of ketamine from Fleming over the course of 11 days. Fleming obtained the ketamine from his drug source, Jasveen Sangha, 42, a.k.a. “Ketamine Queen", of North Hollywood. Before the death of Matthew Perry, Kenneth had repeatedly injected the actor with ketamine that Saghna had supplied to Fleming.
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Also Read: Matthew Perry death probe update: Doctor who supplied ketamine to Friends' actor sentenced to prison
During this period, Iwamasa witnessed Perry's increasing addiction to ketamine. He found Matthew Perry unconscious at his residence on at least two occasions and witnessed an immediate adverse reaction following a ketamine injection where Perry froze up and as unable to talk or move. On October 28, 2023, Iwamasa injected Matthew Perry with at least three shots of Sangha's ketamine, which caused Perry's death.
Matthew Perry's death case investigation so far
Actor Matthew Perry died on October 28, 2023, at his Pacific Palisades home in Los Angeles. His autopsy ruled the primary cause of death as the "acute effects of ketamine", with accidental drowning as a contributing factor.
Also Read: Remembering Matthew Perry on his death anniversary: Facts you didn't know about the Friends actor
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner officially ruled Perry's death an accident, determining that the acute effects of high-level ketamine in his blood were the primary cause. Drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of an opioid (buprenorphine) were also listed as contributing factors.
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During sentencing hearings, Perry's family—including his mother and step-father, broadcaster Keith Morrison—submitted emotional victim impact statements condemning the defendants, particularly Iwamasa, for exploiting the actor's addiction for financial gain and failing to protect him
The federal investigation uncovered an illicit “Wild West” network of doctors and suppliers who exploited the "Friends" star's addiction for financial gain. All five individuals charged in connection with his death pleaded guilty, including his personal assistant, two doctors and a primary drug supplier, who are convicted and sentenced.
