Kenneth Iwamasa Sentenced to 41 Months for Role in Matthew Perry’s Death

The sentencing of Kenneth Iwamasa marks the end of the legal proceedings against five individuals linked to the passing of the Friends actor.

Kenneth Iwamasa, the former personal assistant to actor Matthew Perry, has been sentenced to 41 months in prison for his involvement in the television star’s fatal ketamine overdose. During a Los Angeles court session on Wednesday, Judge Sherilyn Garnett handed down the sentence.

Under the terms of a plea agreement, Iwamasa testified that he administered ketamine injections to Perry at the actor’s request on October 28, 2023, before departing to run errands. Despite having no medical training, Iwamasa admitted to the injections. Upon his return, he discovered the 54-year-old actor lifeless in a hot tub at his Pacific Palisades residence.

“I am so sorry to all of you,” Iwamasa stated during the proceedings. “I’m just so sorry to have done illegal acts I will forever regret. I will take that to my grave.”

The sentencing concludes a significant prosecution involving five individuals accused of facilitating Perry’s death by providing access to controlled substances without medical oversight. The actor, globally recognized for his role as Chandler Bing on the sitcom Friends, had a long history of battling alcoholism and substance abuse.

Prosecutors characterized Iwamasa as both an “enabler and supplier,” noting that he continued to provide injections despite the obvious risks. Court records indicate that Iwamasa reportedly administered over 25 doses of ketamine in the days preceding Perry’s death, including three on the final day. Documents suggest that in his final moments, Perry had requested a large injection from the 61-year-old assistant. An autopsy confirmed that the cause of death was the acute effects of ketamine.

Addressing the court on Wednesday, Perry’s stepfather, Keith Morrison, condemned Iwamasa’s conduct. “You kept injecting him with more,” Morrison remarked. “You could have called somebody.”

The legal fallout includes the convictions of four other individuals involved in the supply chain of the drugs that led to the overdose. Earlier this month, certified drug counselor Erik Fleming was sentenced to two years in prison for acting as a middleman. In December, two doctors, Mark Chavez and Salvador Plasencia, were also convicted. Chavez received eight months of home detention after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine, while Plasencia was sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison.

Additionally, Jasveen Sangha, a woman accused of selling drugs to affluent clients from her Los Angeles apartment, was sentenced to 15 years in prison last month.

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