Kenneth Iwamasa, the former personal assistant to late actor Matthew Perry, has been sentenced to 41 months in prison for his role in the actor’s ketamine-related death.
The sentencing took place on Wednesday in a Los Angeles courtroom, where Judge Sherilyn Garnett handed down the punishment after Iwamasa previously agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.
According to court testimony, Iwamasa admitted that he injected Perry with ketamine at the actor’s request on October 28, 2023, before leaving the house to run errands. When he later returned, he discovered Perry unresponsive in a hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home.
Matthew Perry, widely known for playing Chandler Bing in the popular sitcom Friends, died at the age of 54. An autopsy later confirmed that he died from the acute effects of ketamine.
During the hearing, Iwamasa expressed regret over his actions and apologised to Perry’s family, saying he would forever regret the illegal acts he committed.
Prosecutors described him as someone who enabled Perry’s addiction, alleging that he administered more than 25 ketamine injections in the days leading up to the actor’s death, including multiple doses on the same day he died.
Perry had reportedly struggled with alcoholism and substance addiction for many years, while also seeking treatment for depression and other health challenges.
The case also led to the conviction of four other individuals accused of helping supply the drug. Among them were medical professionals Mark Chavez and Salvador Plasencia, along with drug counsellor Erik Fleming and Jasveen Sangha, who prosecutors described as a drug supplier to wealthy clients in Los Angeles.
Several of those involved have already received prison sentences or home detention as authorities concluded the wider investigation into Perry’s death.
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