Doctor Salvador Plasencia, who pleaded guilty to having sold ketamine, a surgical anesthetic, to actor Matthew Perry, star of the series Friends who died at the age of 54 from an overdose, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison and ordered to pay a fine of $5,600.
According to the court’s decision, announced on Wednesday, December 3, the doctor did not provide the ketamine that killed the actor but, said the judge, he and others helped Matthew Perry “reach this end, feeding his ketamine addiction.” “Exploited Mr. Perry’s addiction for his own profit,” said Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett.
Perry had been taking ketamine as a treatment for depression. But when his personal doctor refused to provide the dose he wanted, the actor turned to Salvador Placencia. The autopsy revealed that the amount of ketamine in the actor’s blood was within the limits used for general anesthesia during surgery.
The prosecution had asked for three years in prison, while the defense requested just one day in prison, in addition to probation.
Salvador Plasencia was the first person convicted among the five defendants who pleaded guilty in relation to the actor’s death in October 2023.
The doctor admitted to taking advantage of Matthew Perry, knowing he was a recovering drug addict. According to court documents, Plasencia sent a text message to another doctor saying the actor was an “idiot” who could be financially exploited.
Matthew Perry struggled with addiction for years, ever since he was a cast member of Friendsa series that was an international success between 1994 and 2004, in the role of Chandler Bing.
The now convicted doctor apologized to the actor’s family. “I should have protected him,” he assumed.