Following Matthew Perry's demise, the attending physician admitted guilt.
In a significant turn of events, Dr. Salvador Plasencia, a California-based physician, has pleaded guilty to distributing ketamine to the late actor Matthew Perry. This development comes nearly two years after Perry's tragic death in October 2023, marking a crucial milestone in the ongoing investigation[1][2][3].
Plasencia, who was not Perry's treating physician at the time of the actor's death, supplied ketamine through Perry's live-in assistant. His guilty plea on July 23, 2025, acknowledges that he knowingly provided the anesthetic to Perry despite the actor's history of addiction[1][2][3].
The guilty plea follows a series of events that have seen five individuals charged in connection with Perry's death. Plasencia is the fourth of these individuals to enter a guilty plea[1][2][3].
In a statement, Plasencia's attorney expressed that the doctor is "profoundly remorseful" and hopes the case will lead to stricter oversight and clearer protocols in at-home ketamine use to prevent similar tragedies[2]. As part of his plea agreement, Plasencia is expected to relinquish his medical license within 30 to 45 days and faces up to 40 years in prison alongside potential fines totaling $2 million[2].
The case remains under investigation, with other defendants involved, including a woman identified as a major ketamine dealer. Perry was found dead from an overdose in his Los Angeles home on October 28, 2023[1].
Prior to his death, Perry had publicly spoken about his struggles with substance abuse. It is believed that Perry obtained the ketamine on the black market[1]. It's worth noting that ketamine, while used as a reliable anesthetic for decades, can also be used to treat certain patients with therapy-resistant depression under specific conditions[4].
This guilty plea advances the legal proceedings related to Perry's death and highlights concerns about ketamine distribution and medical oversight[1][2][3].
[1] Associated Press. (2025, July 23). Doctor pleads guilty in Matthew Perry's ketamine overdose death. NBC News. Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/doctor-pleads-guilty-matthew-perry-s-ketamine-overdose-death-n1395281
[2] KABC-TV. (2025, July 23). Doctor pleads guilty in Matthew Perry's ketamine overdose death. ABC7. Retrieved from https://abc7.com/doctor-pleads-guilty-matthew-perry-ketamine-overdose-death/12525351/
[3] Los Angeles Times. (2025, July 23). Doctor pleads guilty in Matthew Perry's ketamine overdose death. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2025-07-23/doctor-pleads-guilty-in-matthew-perry-s-ketamine-overdose-death
[4] Mayo Clinic. (2021, June 28). Ketamine. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/ketamine/description/drg-20074188
- Despite ketamine's use as a reliable anesthetic and therapeutic agent for therapy-resistant depression in specific conditions, this case emphasizes concerns about its distribution and medical oversight, raising questions in the realm of health-and-wellness and mental-health.
- The ongoing investigation into Matthew Perry's death, which resulted from a ketamine overdose, has shed light on the black-market acquisition of the drug and the importance of stricter regulation in therapies-and-treatments, especially those involving substances with potentially dangerous misuse.
- In the general-news landscape, the guilty plea of Dr. Plasencia, a physician implicated in Perry's case, symbolizes a significant step in the crime-and-justice domain, signaling the need for more enforceable protocols to prevent similar tragedies affecting public figures and the overall population.
