Matthew Perry investigation explained: Arrests, drug charges & all new developments

Five people have now been arrested and are implicated in the death of Friends actor Matthew Perry, with multiple doctors and Perry’s assistant being investigated over drug charges.

Friends star Matthew Perry died on October 28, 2023, at age 54. Following his death, tributes from his loved ones, fans, and fellow Friends co-stars took over social media.

Over the next few months, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and many more all spoke out on the matter of Perry’s death.

While initially confirmed to be an accident, new details have emerged that have turned his death into an ongoing investigation, with multiple people now being charged.

Matthew Perry’s initial death report

Matthew Perry’s death was initially ruled an accident, with TMZ reporting, “the actor was found at an LA-area home…where he appears to have drowned. Sources say first responders rushed over on a call for cardiac arrest.”

A post-mortem examination discovered Perry had a high concentration of ketamine in his system and it was later determined that the “acute effects” of the substance were the cause of death. 

Ketamine is used medicinally to help treat depression, anxiety, and pain. Those close to Perry revealed that the actor was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy and, therefore, “foul play” was initially not identified as being a potential cause.

Matthew Perry’s struggles with substance abuse explained

NBC

Matthew Perry found fame through the role of Chandler Bing in Friends.

In life, Matthew Perry was open and vocal when discussing his struggles with addiction and substance abuse during his life. His 2022 book, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir”, primarily focused on his battles with alcohol and drug use during his time working on Friends and his early life.

When Friends was at its height, Perry revealed in his Memoir that he was battling a severe addiction to alcohol and Opioids. Following a jet ski accident in 1997, the actor was prescribed Vicodin to help with the pain; however, his addition to the medication grew unhealthy to the point where he was allegedly taking up to 55 pills a day and weighed 128 pounds.

Perry previously revealed he could no longer watch Friends as it reminded him of his struggles with addiction, and admitted that he barely remembers filming seasons 3 through 6 of Friends due to substance abuse.

Now, new developments surrounding Perry’s death have emerged, with five people close to the actor, including his assistant, under arrest and being investigated over drug charges.

Five arrests made over the death of Matthew Perry

In May 2024, police began investigating the death of Perry after discovering a “broad underground criminal network” of Ketamine distributors and suppliers in LA.

On August 15, US Attorney Martin Estrada provided an update regarding the investigation, announcing that two doctors, Perry’s assistant, and two other individuals had been arrested concerning the actor’s death.

“These defendants took advantage of Mr Perry’s addiction issues to enrich themselves…They knew what they were doing was risking great danger to Mr Perry, but they did it anyway,” Estrada said.

The justice department further confirmed that three of the defendants, including Perry’s assistant, had already pleaded guilty to drug charges.

Furthermore, two other suspects, a doctor and a woman known as ‘The Ketamine Queen’, were arrested and are being held for further questioning and investigation.

Medical examiners determined that the levels of ketamine in Perry’s system could not have been solely from the infusion therapy he was undergoing, noting that the amount was equal to that given to patients during general anesthesia. 

This triggered an indictment to be filed in the federal court that detailed how a drug purchasing scheme ultimately led to Perry’s death, according to prosecutors.

The indictment further revealed claims that Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, partnered with two doctors to provide the actor with over $50,000 worth of ketamine in the weeks before his death.

One of the doctors implicated, Salvador Plasencia, is alleged to have written in a text message: “I wonder how much this m*r*n will pay.”

We’ll be sure to keep this article updated when more details emerge.