Matthew Perry’s death prompts legal experts to assess culpability of personal assistant Kenneth Iwamasa
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Federal prosecutors alleged that Matthew Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, played a direct role in the actor's tragic death at age 54.
Perry, widely known for his role as Chandler Bing on the iconic TV show 'Friends,' was found dead on October 28, 2023, in the hot tub of his Pacific Palisades home. His death, caused by a combination of acute effects of ketamine, drowning, and other contributing factors, has led to the indictment of five individuals, including Iwamasa, in connection with his demise.
The federal indictment and the key players
On August 15, 2024, federal authorities announced charges against five people involved. The indictment's lead defendants include Jasveen Sangha, also known as “The Ketamine Queen,” and Dr Salvador Plascencia, a licensed physician.
These individuals, along with Erik Fleming, Dr Mark Chavez, and Kenneth Iwamasa, have been accused of conspiring to distribute ketamine, a powerful anesthetic with hallucinogenic properties, to Perry. This group’s actions, according to the US Department of Justice, directly contributed to Perry's death.
Jasveen Sangha, dubbed “The Ketamine Queen,” allegedly provided the batch of ketamine that ultimately killed Perry.
Dr Plascencia, who had been treating Perry, reportedly continued to supply him with the drug despite knowing that the actor was “spiraling out of control with his addiction,” as per US Attorney E Martin Estrada's statement during an August 15 press conference.
Estrada further revealed that Plascencia had witnessed Perry experience severe adverse reactions during one of the ketamine injections but still left additional vials of the drug with Iwamasa, Perry’s assistant.
Erik Fleming, 54, admitted in court to distributing the fatal dose of ketamine, pleading guilty on August 8 to charges of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and distribution resulting in death. Dr Mark Chavez, also implicated in the conspiracy, agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, admitting to selling the drug to Plascencia.
Role of Kenneth Iwamasa: Least or most culpable?
Kenneth Iwamasa’s involvement in Matthew Perry’s death has sparked significant debate among legal experts. Iwamasa, who had been Perry's assistant since 1994, lived with the actor and had a close personal relationship with him.
On the day Perry died, Iwamasa administered three doses of ketamine to him—first at 8:30 a.m., then at 12:30 p.m., and a final dose shortly before Perry entered the hot tub where he was later found unresponsive.
According to Iwamasa's plea agreement, Perry asked him to prepare the hot tub and "shoot me up with a big one" just before his death. The admission led to Iwamasa pleading guilty on August 7 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death. His plea has opened up questions about his level of culpability in Perry’s death.
Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor and president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, argued that Iwamasa is likely the "least culpable" of the five individuals charged. Rahmani suggested that Iwamasa, despite administering the drugs, was primarily following Perry's orders out of a sense of duty to his employer.
“I don’t think he is in the business of dealing drugs,” Rahmani explained to People. “I think he’s in the business of being an assistant.”
In stark contrast, Mark Chutkow, another former federal prosecutor and head of government investigations at the law firm Dykema, views Iwamasa as the most closely connected to the tragic outcome.
While the other defendants, according to Chutkow, “exploited [Perry's] addiction,” Iwamasa was the one who physically injected the drugs into the actor, making him “the most closely tied to what eventually happened.”
Chutkow also highlighted Iwamasa’s pivotal role in the conspiracy, stating that he could be a critical witness in the broader case due to his direct involvement with all other defendants.
Legal consequences and Iwamasa’s future
Iwamasa now faces a potential prison sentence of up to 15 years. However, his decision to plead guilty and cooperate with federal prosecutors might result in a reduced sentence.
Chutkow noted that Iwamasa’s cooperation, especially his role as a link to the other defendants, could be a key factor in determining his final sentence.
