Matthew Perry's Assistant Sentenced in Ketamine Death
Matthew Perry's live-in personal assistant, who played a central role in the actor's descent into ketamine addiction and injected him with the fatal dose, was sentenced Wednesday to three years and five months in prison. Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett handed down the sentence to 60-year-old Kenneth Iwamasa in federal court in Los Angeles, along with two years of probation and a USD 10,000 fine.
This marked the fifth and final sentencing in the 2 1/2-year investigation and prosecution following Perry's death at age 54 on Oct. 28, 2023.
No Evidence of Malicious Intent
"You were privy to his struggle with addiction," Garnett said before handing down the sentence. "Your conduct was reckless, not just on the day of his death but in the days leading up to his death." The sentence matched what prosecutors sought, though Garnett disagreed on some details. She found that Iwamasa did not abuse a position of trust, which could have led to more prison time. She also stated, "There is no hard evidence that you acted with malicious intent, though some would disagree."
Iwamasa was at Perry's side during the final days of his life, acting as enabler, drug messenger, and de facto doctor. He was the last person to see Perry alive and found him dead in his Jacuzzi.
Apology to Perry's Family
At the sentencing, Iwamasa stood at the podium and looked directly at Perry's family and friends. "I'm horribly, horribly sorry, and I offer my condolences to you," he said. "I'm just so sorry to have done these illegal acts that I will forever regret. I will take that to my grave." Iwamasa wore a charcoal-gray suit with his long white hair combed back and showed no visible reaction to the sentence. His father and brother sat in the audience with other supporters.
First to Reach Plea Deal
Iwamasa was the first to reach a deal with prosecutors, pleading guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death, and became their most important witness. His lawyer, Alan Eisner, argued for a six-month prison term with home confinement, emphasizing that Iwamasa was acting at the direction of a boss. "His loyalty to Mr. Perry was paramount," Eisner said. "He worshipped Mr. Perry, he looked up to Mr. Perry. All he did was please and accommodate Mr. Perry." The judge countered, "Unwilling. Not unable. He could have said no."
Family Blames Iwamasa
Perry's mother and sisters wrote letters blaming Iwamasa, a longtime friend they thought would help Perry maintain sobriety but instead indulged his addiction. Perry's stepfather, Keith Morrison, spoke for the family: "We really felt that he was part of the family. We trusted him implicitly." He acknowledged the power imbalance but said Iwamasa still had a choice. "You did the injections. You could have made the phone call. But you didn't. Because you were living a dandy life." He added, "You were in control of one of the most famous people in the world."
Lisa Ferguson, Perry's business manager and estate executor, painted a darker picture, accusing Iwamasa of deliberately driving out others to shore up his own power. "What you are is the monster that killed him," she said. She claimed he showed "not a shred of guilt or remorse" and should "rot in prison." Iwamasa looked directly at Morrison and Ferguson during their remarks.
Background of the Case
Perry hired Iwamasa in 2022, paying him USD 150,000 a year to live at his Los Angeles home as his assistant. Perry had been using ketamine legally for depression but wanted more than his doctor prescribed. According to Iwamasa's plea agreement, he bought off-the-books ketamine from Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who taught him how to inject it. Plasencia was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in July. Iwamasa also bought ketamine from acquaintance Erik Fleming, who got it from a street dealer; Fleming was sentenced to two years two weeks ago. The dealer, Jasveen Sangha, dubbed "The Ketamine Queen," was sentenced to 15 years on April 8.
The investigation began after Iwamasa returned from errands to find Perry dead. The LA County Medical Examiner ruled ketamine as the primary cause of death, with drowning as a secondary cause. Initially, Iwamasa lied to police, omitting ketamine from the list of medications and saying nothing about injections. After a search warrant in January 2024, he began cooperating.
Perry rose to fame as Chandler Bing on "Friends," the NBC sitcom that ran from 1994 to 2004, alongside Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, and Lisa Kudrow.
