NEED TO KNOW
- A Los Angeles doctor has been jailed for illegally supplying Friends star Matthew Perry with ketamine.
- Dr Salvador Plasencia pleaded guilty and received a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence.
- Perry’s family delivered emotional statements in court
- Four more defendants are awaiting sentencing in the coming months.
A Los Angeles doctor who illegally sold ketamine to Friends star Matthew Perry in the lead-up to his tragic overdose has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison.
Dr Salvador Plasencia, 44, pleaded guilty to supplying the beloved actor with ketamine in the month before his October 2023 death. Perry, who was just 54, had been battling depression and addiction for decades — struggles he spoke about openly and honestly throughout his life.
Perry’s vulnerability laid bare
Perry had been legally using ketamine therapy for depression, but when his regular doctor refused to increase his dosage, he sought alternative sources. Prosecutors say Plasencia quickly began selling him vials, lozenges and syringes — despite knowing exactly how risky that was.
Court records even show Plasencia referring to Perry as a “moron” in a text message while discussing how much money he could make from him. Perry’s mother, Suzanne Morrison, addressed that message directly during her emotional courtroom statement.
“There was nothing moronic about that man,” she told Plasencia. “You took an oath to protect people. You should have protected Matthew.”
Perry was later found unresponsive in his pool, with a medical examiner ruling ketamine toxicity as the primary cause of death.
“You exploited Mr Perry’s addiction”
During sentencing, US District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett condemned Plasencia’s role in enabling Perry’s addiction.
“You and others helped Mr Perry on the road to such an ending by continuing to feed his ketamine addiction,” the judge said. “You exploited Mr Perry’s addiction for your own profit.”
Plasencia was taken into immediate custody as his mother wept behind him in the courtroom.
The family’s heartbreaking statements
Matthew Perry’s family filled the courtroom, offering emotional statements about their loss and their frustration that a doctor had helped fuel the addiction Perry was fighting so hard to overcome.
His father, John, and stepmother, Debbie, wrote: “Matthew’s recovery counted on you saying NO. Your motives? I can’t imagine. A doctor whose life is devoted to helping people?”
They added that their family had been “devastated” by the loss of the man they called their “next patriarch”.
In another powerful statement, Perry’s mother Suzanne and stepfather Keith Morrison said Perry had been planning a comeback. “He wanted, needed, deserved… a third act. It was… in the planning. And then, those jackals.”
The actor’s sister, Madeleine Morrison, added, “The world mourns my brother. He was everyone’s favourite friend.”
Plasencia addressed the family directly in court, expressing remorse: “I failed myself. There is no excuse. I can’t undo what’s been done. I should have protected him, as his mother said. I’m just so sorry.”
He also referenced his own young child while reflecting on the consequences of his actions. “I want to raise him right. I also think about how to explain this to him.”
What happens next?
Plasencia is the first of five people charged in connection with Perry’s death to be sentenced. The remaining defendants — including another doctor, an assistant, and two suppliers — have also pleaded guilty and will be sentenced in the coming months.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
