Kenneth Iwamasa, one of the five people who pleaded guilty in the ketamine overdose death of actor Matthew Perry, will appear in federal court after his sentencing in Los Angeles on Wednesday.Jae C. Hong/Associated Press
The personal assistant who injected Friends star Matthew Perry with a lethal dose of the hallucinogen ketamine was sentenced Wednesday to 41 months in federal prison, ending the indictment of five people who admitted to being involved in Perry’s death.
Judge Sherilyn Garnett handed down the sentence for Kenneth Iwamasa, who found Perry lifeless, floating face down in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home in October 2023. Federal prosecutors said Iwamasa injected Perry with ketamine at his request before leaving the residence on business. By the time Iwamasa returned, Perry had died.
Defendant Iwamasa turned to the Perry family in court and said, “I am truly sorry to everyone.” “I am truly sorry for my illegal actions. I will regret it for the rest of my life. I will take this with me to my grave.”
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Perry’s stepfather, Keith Morrison, was the only family member to speak in court. He said Iwamasa was unable to raise the alarm about Perry’s worsening ketamine addiction and chose to continue “living like a king” in Perry’s home.
“You kept giving him more and more injections,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, looking straight at Iwamasa. “You could have called me, but you’ve been living a very dandy life.”
The autopsy report concluded that Perry died from the “acute effects of ketamine,” and that a combination of other factors led to loss of consciousness and drowning.
Ketamine is a short-acting but powerful narcotic with hallucinogenic properties that is sometimes prescribed to treat depression and other mental illnesses, but has become a popular illegal party drug.
The personal assistant who injected “Friends” star Matthew Perry with a fatal dose of the hallucinogen ketamine was sentenced Wednesday to 41 months in federal prison, concluding an indictment against five people who admitted to being involved in Perry’s death.
Reuters
Iwamasa had previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death. As part of his plea agreement, he admitted to repeatedly injecting Perry with lethal doses of ketamine without medical training. Based on this transaction, Iwamasa provided important evidence against the other defendants. His sentence included two years of supervised release and a $10,000 fine.
“You wanted control of Matthew and all of his properties,” Lisa Ferguson, Perry’s business manager and estate executor, said in court. “You are the monster who killed him.
Prosecutors had asked for at least 41 months in federal prison for Iwamasa, who met Perry in 1992 and served as his live-in assistant since 2022. In court documents filed ahead of sentencing, prosecutors called Iwamasa a “supporter and drug supplier” of Perry.
Matthew Perry in New York, February 2015. Perry played Chandler Bing on the NBC sitcom “Friends.”Brian Ack/Canadian Press
Iwamasa’s attorney, Alan Eisner, said his client was “just doing what his boss told him to do.”
“Mr. Kenney will forever regret not coming forward and saying ‘no’ to Mr. Perry,” Mr. Eisner told reporters after the verdict, with Mr. Iwamasa standing quietly next to him.
Prosecutors said Iwamasa repeatedly injected Perry with ketamine throughout October 2023 and continued administering the drug even though he found her unconscious at least twice. On another occasion, he witnessed Perry “froze up” and lost the ability to speak after receiving a ketamine injection from a doctor.
“Your actions were reckless not only on the day of his death, but in the days leading up to his death,” Garnett told Iwamasa.
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Before his death at age 54, Perry admitted to decades of substance abuse, which coincided with his rise to fame playing the sarcastic but charming Chandler Bing on the hit 1990s NBC TV comedy Friends.
Two doctors, a drug dealer and an intermediary who helped obtain ketamine were previously convicted in the case. Jasbeen Sangha, a dealer known as the “Queen of Ketamine,” received the maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
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