Matthew Perry's assistant sentenced to 41 months in prison

The personal assistant who injected a fatal dose of the hallucinogenic drug ketamine into "Friends" star Matthew Perry was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison on Wednesday (27), ending the case against five people who admitted their role in the actor's death.

Judge Sherilyn Garnett handed down the sentence for Kenneth Iwamasa, the person who found Perry floating face down and lifeless in a hot tub in his Los Angeles home in October 2023. Federal prosecutors said Iwamasa injected Perry with ketamine at the actor's request, before leaving the residence to go shopping. Perry was already dead when Iwamasa returned.

The autopsy report concluded that Perry died due to the "acute effects of ketamine," which, combined with other factors, caused him to lose consciousness and drown.

Ketamine, a potent, short-acting anesthetic with hallucinogenic properties, is sometimes prescribed to treat depression and other psychological disorders, but has gained popularity as an illicit recreational drug.

Iwamasa pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death. As part of a plea deal, he admitted to repeatedly injecting Perry with ketamine without medical training, including the lethal dose.

Under the terms of the agreement, he provided crucial evidence against other defendants.

Prosecutors had asked for a sentence of at least 41 months in federal prison for Iwamasa, who met Perry in 1992 and was his assistant, living with him since 2022. They called him Perry's "accomplice and drug supplier" in court documents filed before the sentencing.

Iwamasa injected Perry with ketamine repeatedly throughout October 2023 and at least twice found him unconscious but continued administering the drug, authorities said. On another occasion, he saw Perry "freeze" and lose the ability to speak after receiving a ketamine injection from a doctor.

Before his death at age 54, Perry admitted to decades of substance abuse, which coincided with the height of his fame playing the sarcastic yet charming Chandler Bing on the hit 1990s NBC comedy series "Friends."

Two doctors, a drug dealer and an intermediary who helped obtain ketamine had already been convicted in the case. Jasveen Sangha, a drug dealer nicknamed the "Ketamine Queen", received the longest sentence, 15 years in prison.

Investigation into Matthew Perry's death becomes documentary

Source: CNN