Matthew Perry's former live-in assistant Kenneth Iwamasa sentenced in ketamine overdose case
How did Ketamine lead to Matthew Perry's death?
The Los Angeles Medical Examiner's Office revealed that actor Matthew Perry died from "acute effects of ketamine." But what is ketamine and how did it contribute to his death? Dr. Peter Chin-Hong joined LiveNOW's Austin Westfall to discuss.
LOS ANGELES - Kenneth Iwamasa, the long-time live-in assistant to the late actor Matthew Perry, was sentenced in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday to three years and five months in federal prison. He was also ordered to serve two years of supervised release and pay a $10,000 fine.
He was the final defendant to face judgment in a nationwide drug distribution network that supplied the "Friends" star with the lethal doses of ketamine that caused his October 2023 death.
FILE - Matthew Perry during The Museum Of Television & Radio To Honor CBS News's Dan Rather And Friends Producing Team at The Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA, United States. (Photo by Chris Polk/FilmMagic)
What we know:
Iwamasa, 61, pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death, becoming the first of five indicted individuals to reach a plea deal.
Court documents show that despite having no medical training, Iwamasa acted as the primary intermediary between Perry and illegal drug sources, administering more than 25 injections to the actor in the days leading up to his death.
On October 28, 2023, Perry told Iwamasa, "Shoot me up with a big one." Iwamasa administered at least three injections that day before leaving the Pacific Palisades home to run errands, later returning to find the 54-year-old actor dead in his jacuzzi.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner determined the cause of death as the acute effects of ketamine, with drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine contributing.
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Following Perry's death, court documents and reports from TMZ indicate Iwamasa attempted to cover up the incident.
He allegedly instructed another individual to destroy ketamine evidence, shred documents, and delete digital records.
Prosecutors stated that Iwamasa lied to investigators multiple times before admitting to portions of the cover-up during a phone call with middleman Erik Fleming.
Iwamasa admitted to working with Santa Monica doctor Salvador Plasencia and Fleming to obtain the drug illegally.
Plasencia procured the ketamine from another physician, Mark Chavez, and taught Iwamasa how to inject it.
Text messages revealed Plasencia and Chavez mocked Perry, with Plasencia writing, "I wonder how much this moron will pay."
What we don't know:
While prosecutors have outlined Iwamasa's extensive efforts to cover up the crime immediately following Perry's death, the exact contents of the deleted digital records and shredded documents remain unknown.
Additionally, the defense's precise recommended sentence for Iwamasa has not been publicly disclosed in the presentencing filings.
Timeline:
- October 28, 2023: Matthew Perry is found dead in his hot tub; Iwamasa discovers the body.
- August 2024: Iwamasa officially enters a guilty plea and begins cooperating with federal investigators.
- October 2024: Dr. Mark Chavez pleads guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine.
- July 2025: Dr. Salvador Plasencia pleads guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine.
- December 2025: Doctors Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez are sentenced for their roles. Plasencia receives two years and six months in prison; Chavez receives eight months of home confinement and 300 hours of community service.
- April 2026: Lead supplier Jasveen Sangha, the "Ketamine Queen," is sentenced to 15 years in federal prison.
- May 2026: Middleman Erik Fleming is sentenced to two years in prison.
- Wednesday (May 2026): Iwamasa faces his final sentencing hearing.
What they're saying:
Federal prosecutors have described Iwamasa's actions as "grossly negligent," emphasizing that the defendants "took advantage of Mr. Perry’s addiction issues to enrich themselves."
Perry’s family expressed deep betrayal.
His mother, Suzanne Morrison, stated that the family was relieved when Perry hired Iwamasa in 2022.
"Matthew trusted Kenny. We trusted Kenny. Kenny’s most important job — by far — was to be my son’s companion and guardian in his fight against addiction," she wrote to U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett. "We trusted a man without a conscience, and my son paid the price."
Perry’s younger sister, Caitlin Morrison, wrote: "I have no sympathy for Kenny Iwamasa... I will never know if the lethal dose of ketamine was only lethal by accident. But I know that when Kenny left the house, he was doing one of two things. He was either escaping from something he knew he had done or he was willfully abandoning a vulnerable person in a dangerous situation."
On the other hand, defense attorneys portrayed Iwamasa as a compliant employee overwhelmed by his employer.
In a court filing, they argued Iwamasa had "a particular vulnerability to the relationship dynamic which he fell into with the victim. In short, he could not ‘simply say no.’ That inability had tragic consequences."
What's next:
Iwamasa faces a statutory maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison.
Federal prosecutors have requested that Judge Garnett impose a reduced term of three years and five months, citing his early plea deal and cooperation with the investigation.
His sentencing on Wednesday will conclude the criminal prosecutions for the five individuals indicted in connection with Perry's death.
The Source: This report is based on official records provided by the U.S. Department of Justice and federal court documents filed in the Central District of California, as well as previous FOX 11 reports. The Associated Press and City News Service contributed.