Doctor Charged in Matthew Perry’s Death Expected to Plead Guilty

Los Angeles, CA – One of the two California doctors involved in the investigation into the overdose death of “Friends” actor Matthew Perry is expected to plead guilty to charges related to the surgical anesthetic ketamine, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The information was confirmed by a Department of Justice official on Friday. Mark Chavez, 54, appeared in a Los Angeles federal court for a bond hearing and arraignment. Chavez is expected to enter a guilty plea in the coming weeks, according to Ciaran McEvoy from the United States Attorneys’ Office. This will be the third guilty plea in the ongoing investigation into Perry’s death.

Matthew Perry was found dead in October in the hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home. The investigation into his death has led to the arrest of five individuals, including Chavez, Perry’s assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, another doctor named Salvador Plasencia, a drug dealer, and a woman referred to as the “ketamine queen,” Jasveen Sangha.

Sangha and Plasencia were identified as the lead defendants in the case. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office reported that Perry died from the acute effects of ketamine, leading to cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression. The amount of ketamine found in Perry’s blood was comparable to what is used during general anesthesia. The medical examiner also noted that drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine, a drug used to treat opioid addiction, were contributing factors in Perry’s death.

Chavez is also accused of using a fake prescription and making false statements to a wholesale ketamine distributor. The case continues to unfold as the legal process moves forward.