Kenneth Iwamasa, the personal assistant who injected Matthew Perry with ketamine multiple times without medical training, was sentenced to three years and five months in prison on Wednesday. Iwamasa, 61, had pleaded guilty to distributing ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury, matching the prosecutors' request.
Iwamasa's sentencing concludes the criminal investigation into five individuals linked to Perry's overdose death in 2023. The longest sentences were given to Jasveen Sangha, known as the 'Ketamine queen', who supplied the fatal dose and received 15 years, and Erik Fleming, a middleman, who got two years. Former doctor Salvador Plasencia, who supplied ketamine after Perry had an adverse reaction, was sentenced to 30 months, while another doctor, Mark Chavez, received home detention and supervised release.
Iwamasa's case drew sympathy from some Hollywood insiders, who cited a power imbalance between celebrity and assistant. His attorneys argued he 'could not simply say no'. From 2022 to 2023, Iwamasa worked as Perry's live-in assistant, having known him for over two decades.
Perry, who had publicly struggled with opioid addiction, sought Iwamasa's help in autumn 2023 to obtain ketamine, an anesthetic only legal when prescribed. He had used ketamine therapy for anxiety and depression but turned to outside sources for higher doses. Prosecutors said Iwamasa paid Plasencia at least $55,000 for ketamine and also obtained it through Fleming.
In the three days before Perry's death, Iwamasa injected him with six to eight shots daily, according to court documents. Authorities noted Iwamasa had found Perry unresponsive at least twice that month. Perry's family condemned his actions; his mother, Suzanne Morrison, said they trusted him to help Perry stay sober, while his sister, Madeline Morrison, accused Iwamasa of trying to distract them from the truth after Perry's death.
