The prosecutor who began the investigation into Matthew Perry’s death details the series of events that led to his overdose in Matthew Perry: A Hollywood Tragedy.
The Peacock documentary, which was released on Tuesday, Feb. 25, digs deep into Perry’s life and addiction before he died in October 2023 at the age of 54. In the special, Martin Estrada, the former United States Attorney for the State of California Central District, shares his perspective on who is to blame for the death of the Friends star.
“The sources were people who should’ve known much better,” Estrada says in the documentary, placing emphasis on the medical doctors, Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez, who allegedly provided Perry with ketamine illegally when others wouldn’t.
“Dr. Plasencia was very clear in text messages and other messages in saying that he saw this as an opportunity to make a lot of money in a short amount of time, and he allegedly did just that,” Estrada adds. “He sets the prices — which were exorbitant — and the indictment contains evidence that he sold, over about a month, 20 vials of ketamine in exchange for $55,000.”
Plasencia was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, seven counts of distribution of ketamine and two counts of altering and falsifying documents. He pleaded not guilty.
“Dr. Plasencia was trying to help Mr. Perry and provide medical care that would ease his problems,” his lawyer Stefan Sacks says in the documentary. “Dr. Plasencia wasn’t aware that Mr. Perry was obtaining ketamine from other individuals initially, and when it became apparent that there might be something else going on, he wasn’t providing any ketamine to Mr. Perry at that point.”
Authorities stated that Chavez obtained vials for $12 that he and Plasencia then sold to Perry for $2,000. Estrada goes on to say that both doctors exhibited the intention to go against what they knew was ethical.
“They even talked about the fact that this wasn’t the right way to administer ketamine, yet it was the golden opportunity to make money,” Estrada says. “And at one point, Dr. Plasencia writes to Dr. Chavez, ‘I wonder how much this moron will pay.’ ”
Retired Los Angeles Police Department detective Greg Kading charges in the documentary that the doctors’ behavior showed “such a degree of, almost, disdain” for Perry — especially when they put him in contact with the non-medically trained defendants, Erik Fleming and Jasveen Sangha.
Estrada says Plasencia later taught Perry’s live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, how to administer the drugs on his own, despite having “had numerous red flags that were flashing in front of him.”
“Allegedly, Dr. Plasencia would arrange with Mr. Perry different locations to meet to provide the ketamine,” he says. “On one occasion, they meet in a parking lot in Long Beach, and he administers, in the back of a car, ketamine. Doctors are not supposed to inject people in the back of parking lots.”
“A trained doctor like Dr. Plasencia knew much better,” Estrada continues. “One of the overall themes of our indictment is that all these defendants should have known better. They were taking advantage of an individual and letting their greed drive them to endanger Mr. Perry’s life.”
Just before Perry’s death, Estrada alleges, Plasencia saw Perry “freeze up” from the drug use, and even told “another patient that Mr. Perry ‘is spiraling out of control.’ ”
“But he does nothing about this,” Estrada says. “He allegedly continues to provide ketamine to Mr. Perry’s live-in assistant, which is then going to be administered to Mr. Perry.”
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Sacks previously said of his client in court, “At the end of the day, Dr. Plasencia was providing medical treatment to Mr. Perry. He was operating in good faith under what he believed was his duty and whether or not there was a lapse in judgement in retrospect, it doesn’t negate the fact that he was pursuing this with the best of medical intention.”
Chavez pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. Fleming pled guilty to the same charge, along with one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. Iwamasa, who injected Perry with the dose that ultimately killed him, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death. They have all agreed to cooperate with the investigation.
Sangha was charged with several offenses, and her lawyer said “she denies the allegations against her” in a statement for the documentary.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
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