American actor Matthew Perry’s personal assistant was sentenced Wednesday in federal court in Los Angeles to three years and five months in prison for his role in the death of the star of the series Friendsthe AP agency reported, writes TASR.
- A federal court in Los Angeles sentenced Kenneth Iwamas to prison.
- In addition to prison, Iwamasa was given two years’ probation and a fine.
- The personal assistant lived with Matthew Perry and provided him with ketamine regularly.
- Iwamasa pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death.
- An autopsy confirmed Perry’s death by a ketamine overdose and subsequent drowning in a hot tub.
In addition to a prison sentence the judge also gave Kenneth Iwamas two years of probation and a $10,000 fine. This is the final verdict in the October 2023 inquest into the death of Matthew Perry.
Iwamasa lived with Perry at his home in Los Angeles and, according to prosecutors played a key role in the actor’s return to ketamine use. Iwamasa brokered the drug and administered injections, including the fatal one. He was the last person to see the actor alive, and he also found him dead in the hot tub.
In August 2024, Iwamasa pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death and became a key witness for the prosecution. In letters to the court, Perry’s family said Iwamasa was to blame for Matthew’s death. According to Perry’s mother, Suzanne Morrison, Iwamasa was supposed to support Perry in his battle with drug addiction, but instead encouraged him to use drugs.
Perry used ketamine legally to treat his depression. According to the investigators, however, he also procured illegal benefits. Iwamasa found them for him through other people, including the doctor Salvador Plasencia and Erik Fleming. Both have already been convicted, as has dealer Jasveen Sangha, also known as the “Ketamine Queen”.
Iwamasa administered ketamine to Perry six to eight times a day in the last days of his life. He found him dead in the hot tub after the last dose. The autopsy confirmed the main cause of death as an overdose of ketamine and as a secondary cause, drowning. Ketamine has seen a huge increase in use in recent years as a treatment for depression, anxiety and pain. reminds AP.
