The late Friends star Matthew Perry apparently froze up after a doctor administered a “large dose” of ketamine two weeks before he died of an overdose in his Los Angeles home.

Five individuals were charged on Thursday in connection with the beloved actor's death in October 2023. The list of multiple arrests included two doctors - Salvador Plascencia and Mark Chavez. Additionally, Perry's longtime assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, alleged street dealer Erik Fleming and the so-called “Ketamine Queen of Los Angeles” Jasveen Sangha were also accused of deceitfully extracting thousands of dollars from the 54-year-old actor for the vials containing the drug that reportedly only cost $12.

Defendants Plascencia's role in Matthew Perry's death

The New York Post reported that 16 days before Perry was found dead in his jacuzzi, Plascencia noticed the actor was seemingly experiencing an unfortunate episode in which he appeared to “freeze up” and his blood pressure shot up after he was injected with the large ketamine dose.

The 42-year-old crooked doctor, who had a license to prescribe and administer the drug, was supposedly also aware of Perry's substance abuse, especially since the actor had been avidly vocal about his addiction. Despite the knowledge, Plascencia took the chance to cash in on his problems, as was also documented in his texts with Perry's live-in assistant. “I wonder how much this moron will pay” for the powerful tranquiliser, Plascencia said in a message, according to an indictment

How Matthew Perry's assistant worked as a co-conspirator days before the actor's death

In the final days of his life, Iwamasa, who'd been living with Perry since 1994 and had no medical training, injected the actor with at least 27 shots of ketamine, following Plascencia's instructions. Prosecutors alleged that these also included the three that contributed to his “death and serious bodily injury.”

On the day he died, Iwamasa gave him his first ketamine shot at around 8:30 am. Four hours later, as Perry was watching a movie at his LA home, the assistant administered another dose. However, Perry soon called out for another shot. Iwamasa stated in a plea agreement he signed that his boss called him up merely 40 minutes after that for another dose, asking him to “Shoot me up with a big one.” Perry also asked Iwamasa to prepare his hot tub.

Giving him a third injection filled with ketamine, Iwamasa exited the premises to run some errands, as per court papers. Upon his arrival at the house, the assistant found Perry face down in the water. He was already dead.

Perry's history of substance abuse was taken advantage of

Perry had been reportedly undergoing ketamine therapy for anxiety and depression at the time of his death. However, his physicians at a local clinic did not increase his dosage, making Perry eager to get his hands on the drug through illegal sources. As this had initially pointed towards suspicion and foul play in the case, the latest development in the investigation revealed that the 17 Again star had approached Plascencia to obtain the drugs.

Ultimately, Plascencia turned to Mark Chavez for the ketamine, Anne Milgram, administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, said on Thursday.

From September 2023 onwards, the doctor was allegedly responsible for supplying Perry with about 20 vials of the drug. In exchange, they bilked Perry of $55,000 in cash, charging $2,000 for a $12 vial, despite knowing the actor's addiction was only growing.

Court documents also state defendant Sangha directed “co-conspirator Fleming to delete evidence after learning about” Perry's death. Believed to have supplied the final dose of ketamine to the actor, Sangha reportedly called Fleming using the Signal application and discussed “distancing themselves from selling ketamine to” the Friends star, “among other things, deleting digital evidence on their cell phones.”

Defendants charged with the following counts

Plascencia and Sangha have been charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. Meanwhile, the former is also charged with seven counts of distribution of ketamine and two counts of altering and falsifying documents or records related to a federal investigation.

Sangha is additionally charged with one count of maintaining drug-involved premises, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, a count of possession with intent to distribute ketamine and five counts of distribution of ketamine.

On the other hand, Fleming, Iwamasa and Chavez confessed to conspiracy to distribute ketamine and conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death.