Former assistant to Matthew Perry sentenced to 41 months in prison
Los Angeles Superior Court judge Sherilyn Garnett delivers sentence to Iwamasa, who had no medical training, marking the end of legal proceedings against those accused of facilitating the actor’s death.
Kenneth Iwamasa, the former personal assistant to actor Matthew Perry, has been sentenced to 41 months in prison by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Sherilyn Garnett. The sentence concludes the prosecution of five individuals alleged to have facilitated Perry’s death by supplying ketamine without proper medical supervision. Iwamasa, 61, pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement, testifying that he injected the actor with the drug at his request on 28 October 2023.
An autopsy confirmed that Perry, 54, died from the acute effects of ketamine. Court papers indicate that Iwamasa, who possessed no medical training, administered more than 25 injections in the days leading up to the actor’s death, including three on the day he died. Documents state that Perry requested a “big one” in his final moments before Iwamasa left the Pacific Palisades residence to run errands. Upon returning, Iwamasa discovered Perry’s body floating in a hot tub.
During the sentencing hearing, Iwamasa expressed remorse to the court. “I am so sorry to all of you,” he said. “I’m just so sorry to have done illegal acts I will forever regret. I will take that to my grave.” Perry’s stepfather, Keith Morrison, addressed the court to denounce Iwamasa’s actions, stating, “You kept injecting him with more. You could have called somebody.”
The sentencing brings to a close the legal proceedings against the five people charged in connection with the overdose. Prosecutors described Iwamasa as Perry’s “enabler and supplier,” noting that he continued to provide injections despite troubling incidents. Perry, best known for his role in the sitcom Friends, had struggled with alcoholism and drug addiction for years, with prosecutors stating he had grown increasingly dependent on ketamine.
Four other individuals have already been convicted and sentenced for their roles in the case. Certified drug counsellor Erik Fleming received two years in prison for acting as a middleman. Doctors Mark Chavez and Salvador Plasencia were sentenced in December to eight months of home detention and two-and-a-half years in federal prison, respectively. Jasveen Sangha, a British American woman who sold drugs from her Los Angeles apartment, was given a 15-year sentence last month.
