With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
Doctor pleads guilty in Matthew Perry ketamine overdose case
Matthew Perry in 2009.
(
Matt Sayles
/
AP
)
Topline:
A Santa Monica doctor charged in the drug-overdose death of Friends actor Matthew Perry pleaded guilty on Wednesday to four felony charges for distributing ketamine.
How did we get here? Dr. Salvador Plasencia filed the agreement in June that he planned to plead guilty to the charges, admitting that he knowingly distributed ketamine and acted without medical reasoning.
What are the accusations? Plasencia is accused of selling Perry four vials of liquid ketamine and an open box of ketamine lozenges. Plasencia is also accused of traveling to Perry’s residence, injecting him with the drug and leaving at least one vial with Perry’s personal assistant. He faces up to 40 years in prison and a $2 million fine.
Sponsored message
What Plasenica’s legal team said: Karen Goldstein, an attorney for Plasencia, said in a statement that he plans to voluntarily surrender his medical license. “Dr. Plasencia is profoundly remorseful for the treatment decisions he made while providing ketamine to Matthew Perry,” the statement added. “He is fully accepting responsibility by pleading guilty to drug distribution.”
Background: Perry died Oct. 28, 2023, in his Los Angeles home. The L.A. County medical examiner determined the cause was “acute effects of ketamine.”
What's next: Plascencia is scheduled for sentencing on Dec. 3., according to his legal team.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
