In the latest development in Matthew Perry's death case, five people have been charged in connection with the actor's death from a ketamine overdose last year. These five also include the actor's assistant and two doctors. US Attorney Martin Estrada announced the charges on Thursday, saying the doctors supplied Perry with a large amount of ketamine and even wondered in a text message how much the former Friends star would be willing to pay.
“These defendants took advantage of Mr Perry's addiction issues to enrich themselves. They knew what they were doing was wrong," Estrada said. Perry died in October last year due to a ketamine overdose and received several injections of the drug on the day he died from his live-in personal assistant.
The assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, is the one who found Perry dead later that day. Two of the people, including one of the doctors charged, have been arrested, Estrada said. Two of the defendants, including Iwamasa, have pleaded guilty to charges already, and a third person has agreed to plead guilty.
Iwamasa's attorneys did not immediately return a message seeking comment. The prosecutor said the defendants exchanged messages soon after Perry's death referencing ketamine as the cause of death. Estrada said they tried to cover up their involvement in supplying Perry ketamine, a powerful anaesthetic that is sometimes used to treat chronic pain and depression.
Los Angeles police said in May that they were working with the US Drug Enforcement Admi.