The of Matthew Perry has revealed key details about the final days of the 91ƵFriends91Ƶ star, most of them spent in the throes of an addiction to the .
Perry would on Oct. 28 after telling his assistant to shoot him up 91Ƶwith a big one.91Ƶ Drawn from unsealed federal court documents and a medical examiner91Ƶs investigation, here91Ƶs a chronological look at the end of Perry91Ƶs life.
The final month
September 30 91Ƶ Perry and his met at their home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles with Dr. Salvador Plasencia. Perry had been receiving ketamine treatments for depression 91Ƶ an increasingly common off-label use 91Ƶ from his regular doctor, but wasn91Ƶt able to get as much as he wanted. Plasencia texted a doctor friend in San Diego, Mark Chavez, who agreed to obtain ketamine for him.
91ƵI wonder how much this moron will pay,91Ƶ Plasencia texted Chavez. The two met up the same day in Costa Mesa, halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego and exchanged at least four vials of ketamine.
Plasencia returned to Perry91Ƶs house, where Iwamasa paid him $4,500 in cash for the vials. Plasencia gave Perry two injections of ketamine, and instructed Iwamasa on how to give the injections to the actor. Plasencia texted Chavez that the experience 91Ƶfelt like a bad movie.91Ƶ
October 2 91Ƶ Iwamasa texted Plasencia saying he wanted to buy not just injection sessions, but to be left with more vials of ketamine, referring to it in agreed-upon code as 91Ƶdr pepper.91Ƶ Plasencia appeared, gave Perry the injections, and left behind the vials of the anesthetic.
October 4 91Ƶ Iwamasa injected Perry himself for the first time. He texted the doctor that he had found 91Ƶthe sweet spot91Ƶ to put the needle into his boss, but that trying different spots on Perry had led to them running out, and they needed more. Plasencia texted Chavez asking if he could keep supplying the drug so they could become Perry91Ƶs 91Ƶgo-to.91Ƶ
October 6 91Ƶ Iwamasa told Plasencia they were running low, and needed more. Plasencia went to Perry91Ƶs house and sold him one or more vials.
October 8 91Ƶ In a late night meetup at a Santa Monica shopping plaza, Plasencia sold Iwamasa four vials of ketamine for $6,000 in cash.
October 10 91Ƶ Iwamasa drove Perry to a public parking lot in Long Beach, where they met up with the doctor. He sold them more ketamine, and gave an injection to Perry while the actor sat in a car. On the same day, Iwamasa sought even more of the drug from an additional source of ketamine, reaching out to Erik Fleming, an acquaintance of Perry.
October 11 91Ƶ Fleming messaged Iwamasa that he can get ketamine from a woman he knows. 91ƵIt91Ƶs unmarked but it91Ƶs amazing 91Ƶ he take one and try it and I have more if he likes,91Ƶ Fleming wrote. The woman, Jasveen Sangha, was known to her customers as the 91ƵKetamine Queen.91Ƶ Fleming texted Iwamasa that she only deals 91Ƶwith high end and celebs. If it were not great stuff she91Ƶd lose her business.91Ƶ
October 12 91Ƶ Plasencia went to Perry91Ƶs house, where he was paid $21,000 in cash, some of it owed to him for previous ketamine buys. While there he injected Perry. The actor immediately froze up and his blood pressure spiked. The assistant said the doctor told him, 91Ƶlet91Ƶs not do that again.91Ƶ
October 13 91Ƶ Perry got a sample of Sangha91Ƶs ketamine and tried it. He and Iwamasa would ask for 25 vials of it, for which he would pay $5,500. Fleming dropped it off at Perry91Ƶs house a day later.
On or around Oct. 20 91Ƶ Perry received his last legal ketamine treatment from his regular physician, according to what a woman close to him whose name was redacted in official documents told medical examiner91Ƶs investigators. The woman said his previous doctor had given him treatments every other day, but his new doctor said Perry was doing well, his depression was managed, and he no longer needed so many treatments. The woman would tell investigators that she had believed Perry had been sober for 19 months and there had been no relapse.
The final week
Around October 24 91Ƶ Perry talked to the unidentified woman for the last time. She told investigators he had been in good spirits.
October 25 91Ƶ Iwamasa asked Fleming for another 25 vials of ketamine. After picking up $6,000 from Perry, Fleming picked up the ketamine from Sangha, who told him her own source is known as 91ƵMaster Chef.91Ƶ Meanwhile, Iwamasa gave Perry at least six shots of ketamine.
October 26 91Ƶ Iwamasa again gave Perry at least six shots of ketamine.
October 27 91Ƶ The assistant again gave the actor at least six shots of ketamine. With the supply coming from Fleming and Sangha, Perry and Iwamasa had been out of touch with Plasencia for about two weeks. Plasencia would text Iwamasa saying he had more to offer: 91ƵI know you mentioned taking a break. I have been stocking up.91Ƶ
The final day
About 8:30 a.m. 91Ƶ Acting at Perry91Ƶs direction, using syringes from Plasencia and ketamine from Sangha, Iwamasa gave Perry an injection.
About 11 a.m. 91Ƶ Perry played pickleball, according to what Iwamasa told medical examiner91Ƶs investigators later in the day, though many elements of that initial story changed in his later talks to prosecutors.
About 12:45 p.m. 91Ƶ Iwamasa gave Perry his second shot of the day, and the actor began watching a movie.
Shortly before 1:30 p.m. 91Ƶ Iwamasa gave Perry his third and final injection of the day while Perry sat at his backyard jacuzzi. 91ƵShoot me up with a big one,91Ƶ Iwamasa remembered Perry telling him. The assistant then left to run errands.
About 4 p.m. 91Ƶ Iwamasa returned home to find Perry face down in the jacuzzi. He jumped in, pulled Perry to the steps and called 911. Paramedics arrived minutes later and declared Perry dead. Coroner91Ƶs investigators would say ketamine was the primary cause of his death, with drowning a secondary cause.
The defendants now
Iwamasa has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute Ketamine. Fleming has pleaded guilty to distributing ketamine resulting in death. Both are cooperating with prosecutors.
Chavez has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to distribute the drug. Plasencia and Sangha, the two main targets of the investigation, have pleaded not guilty to multiple felony counts.
Plasencia91Ƶs lawyer Stefan Sacks said Thursday that everything his client did was in Perry91Ƶs best medical interest. Sangha91Ƶs attorney declined comment.
Attorneys for the other three men did not respond to multiple messages seeking comment from The Associated Press.
Andrew Dalton, The Associated Press