Matthew Perry’s Doctor Sentenced Over Ketamine Death
A Los Angeles federal court has delivered its verdict: 44-year-old Salvador Plasencia — the doctor who supplied ketamine to Matthew Perry in the weeks before the actor’s fatal overdose — has been sentenced to 30 months (2.5 years) in prison. He also faces a $5,600 fine and has been immediately remanded into federal custody.
What Plasencia Did — And What Court Found
- Plasencia pleaded guilty in July 2025 to four felony counts of distributing ketamine to Perry and the actor’s assistant, between September and October 2023.
- Court documents show he illegally sold 20 vials of ketamine, lozenges, and syringes — despite knowing Perry was struggling with addiction.
- The judge described the doctor’s actions as an exploitation of Perry’s vulnerability, calling them a “gross breach of trust.”
- Although Plasencia didn’t supply the exact dose that killed Perry, the court held that his repeated drug distribution “contributed to the harm” and facilitated Perry’s fatal overdose in October 2023.
Emotional Impact in Court
During the sentencing hearing, Perry’s parents delivered powerful victim-impact statements, describing the actor’s death as “the bottom falling out” of their world. They blamed Plasencia for turning addiction into profit.
In court, Plasencia apologized directly to the family, saying: “I failed Mr. Perry — I failed him, I failed his family.”
The Verdict
- This marks the first sentencing among the five people charged in connection with Perry’s death — signaling serious accountability for those who supplied illicit drugs.
- It sends a warning to medical professionals and prescription-drug distributors: supplying controlled substances without legitimate medical purpose — especially to those struggling with addiction — can lead to prison time.
For fans of Matthew Perry and survivors of addiction, the verdict is a bitter but important closure. It underlines the dangers of easy access to powerful sedatives and the responsibility that comes with prescribing them.
