The long-running criminal investigation surrounding Matthew Perry’s tragic overdose reached a major milestone this week with the announcement that Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, would receive 41 months in federal prison for his role in the actor’s overdose. Iwamasa, who worked closely with Perry for 25 years, entered a guilty plea on a charge of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death. This plea came after Iwamasa admitted to injecting Perry with the drug in the final days of Perry’s life.

The sentencing hearing has drawn renewed attention to the Friends actor’s overdose case, which involved five defendants accused of helping supply Perry with ketamine before his fatal overdose in October 2023. It’s also reopened painful emotions for friends and family members who are still grieving Matthew Perry’s ketamine death.

Perry’s Family Described the Case as a Betrayal

Before Matthew Perry’s assistant’s sentencing, several members of the actor’s family submitted letters to the court. Perry’s sisters, Madeline and Caitlin Morrison, accused Iwamasa of “betraying Perry’s trust and misleading family members after his passing.” Caitlin Morrison wrote that learning the details surrounding her brother’s final days “felt like my brother died all over again. Perry’s mother, Suzanne Morrison, wrote that Iwamasa is a “man without conscience,” and that her son “paid the price.”

Prosecutors Said Iwamasa Injected Perry Repeatedly

Federal prosecutors in the Kenneth Iwamasa case claim that he was “deeply involved” in Perry’s ketamine use during the actor’s final weeks. According to Associated Press reporting summarized in multiple outlets, Iwamasa admitted he administered ketamine injections to Perry six to eight times per day near the end of the actor’s life. According to court documents, Perry instructed Iwamasa to give him a larger dose of the drug shortly before his passing, a request that Iwamasa allegedly fulfilled.

Investigators said Iwamasa injected Perry multiple times on October 28, 2023, before leaving the actor alone at his Pacific Palisades home. Perry was later found dead in a hot tub. An autopsy determined the primary cause of death was the acute effects of ketamine, with drowning listed as a contributing factor.

Perry Had Become an Addiction Recovery Advocate

The details of the case have left many of Perry’s fans stunned, largely because the actor had become such an advocate for sobriety, detailing his battles with addiction and recovery in recent years. His 2022 memoir, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” detailed the actor’s struggles with alcohol and prescription drugs. Perry also discussed repeated rehab stays, health scares, and the emotional pressures of fame. In multiple interviews following the book’s release, Perry discussed how he hoped that opening up about his sobriety would help others facing similar battles.

One of the strongest victim statements came from Lisa Kasteler Calio, a longtime Perry colleague and CEO of the Matthew Perry Foundation, which was founded after his death. The foundation supports addiction recovery initiatives. Calio worked with Perry for nearly 30 years and described his death as “like losing a family member.”

Calio’s court letter accused Iwamasa of isolating Perry from his support system and enabling his destructive behavior instead of protecting him. She also alleged that Iwamasa continued prioritizing his lifestyle and financial access to Perry even after the actor showed dangerous physical reactions to ketamine injections.

The Case Expanded Into a Much Larger Criminal Investigation

Perry’s overdose sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry, but it quickly turned into a much larger federal investigation that involved doctors, drug suppliers, and intermediaries. Ultimately, authorities charged five people in Perry’s death. That group included Iwamasa, Dr. Salvador Plasencia, Dr. Mark Chavez, Erik Fleming, and Javseen Sangha.

Plasencia was the physician who supplied the ketamine, while Dr. Chavez was found to be connected to the network in other areas. Fleming, a drug counselor, was found to have served as an intermediary, and Sangha was dubbed “the ketamine queen” by prosecutors. Federal investigators alleged that Perry paid approximately $55,000 for ketamine during the final two months of his life.

Iwamasa is the last of the five to be sentenced. Earlier this year, Sangha received a 15-year sentence in federal prison. Dr. Plasencia was sentenced to 30 months in prison, while Dr. Chavez received house arrest and supervised release after agreeing to surrender his medical license. Fleming was given a two-year sentence for supplying the drug to Perry.

While Iwamasa was sentenced to 41 months for his role, Perry’s family continues picking up the pieces. Suzanne Morrison acknowledged that while she appreciated the efforts of federal investigators and prosecutors, “there’s no real closure for a mother who lost her child.”

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