All 5 Defendants Plead Guilty in Perry Ketamine Death Case

LOS ANGELES — The federal prosecution linked to the 2023 death of Friends actor Matthew Perry from ketamine overdose is nearing completion, with all five defendants having pleaded guilty to charges related to supplying the drug that killed the 54-year-old star at his Pacific Palisades home.

Perry died on October 28, 2023, after his live-in personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, administered multiple injections of ketamine that day and left him alone in his hot tub. An autopsy determined the primary cause was the acute effects of ketamine, a surgical anesthetic used off-label for Perry's depression treatment, with drowning listed as a contributing factor. Perry had sought larger quantities than prescribed by his regular doctor, leading to an illegal supply chain.

Iwamasa, 60, admitted in his plea agreement to purchasing most of the drugs for Perry and injecting him six to eight times daily in his final days, including after Perry requested a large dose. He faces sentencing on one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death on May 27.

Jasveen Sangha, 42, supplied the ketamine batch used on the day Perry died and had distributed the drug, methamphetamine and cocaine from...