A physician involved in the drug-related death of actor Matthew Perry has admitted guilt in the case. Dr. Mark Chavez changed his plea to guilty in a Los Angeles court on a charge of conspiring to distribute the surgical anaesthetic ketamine.
Chavez, 54, ran a ketamine clinic and sold ketamine lozenges to Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who then supplied them to Perry, known for his role in the NBC sitcom Friends.
According to court records, Chavez confessed in his plea agreement that he acquired ketamine from his former clinic and a wholesale distributor through a fraudulent prescription.
Chavez is among five individuals facing charges in Perry’s death. The 54-year-old actor was discovered dead in his backyard jacuzzi in southern California in October 2023.
A post-mortem examination disclosed a high concentration of ketamine in his system, indicating that the substance’s “acute effects” led to his demise.
Ketamine is an anaesthetic used to manage depression, anxiety, and pain. It is 50 times more potent than heroin.
Prosecutors alleged that Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, collaborated with the two doctors to provide the actor with over $50,000 (£38,000) worth of ketamine in the weeks preceding his death.
Text messages between the two medical doctors in the indictment revealed their discussions on the pricing of ketamine vials for Perry, with one message questioning how much Perry would be willing to pay.
Chavez’s guilty plea enables him to accept a lesser charge through his cooperation in the investigation, yet he still faces the possibility of up to 10 years in prison.
“He has taken responsibility and is cooperating,” his lawyer informed the court.
Chavez has surrendered his passport and agreed to revoke his medical license immediately. He remains on bail until his sentencing on April 2, 2025.
