Give Me a Strong Dose

Five days prior to his death, Matthew Perry referred to himself as “Mattman” in a series of social media posts. He shared what would become his final public words: “Oh, so warm water swirling around makes you feel good?”

News broke on October 28 that the Friends actor was found face down in his hot tub by his assistant and later pronounced dead at the age of 54. Fans were left puzzled by his enigmatic final words. Recent arrests connected to the investigation have further saddened those who admired Perry, highlighting how his struggles with addiction may have been exploited.

On the day he died, Perry’s live-in personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, administered Perry’s first ketamine shot of the morning at around 8:30 a.m. This information comes from a plea agreement that Iwamasa signed. The second injection occurred at 12:45 p.m. while Perry was watching a movie at home. Less than an hour later, at Perry’s request, Iwamasa administered a third dose.

“Shoot me up with a big one,” Perry reportedly told Iwamasa, who was also asked to prepare the hot tub. According to court documents, the third dose was given while Perry was either near or inside the jacuzzi. Iwamasa then left to run errands, returning to find Perry dead, face down in the hot tub.

Iwamasa, who is one of five defendants charged by the Department of Justice, reportedly injected Perry six to eight times per day. Court records indicate that Perry received at least 27 shots of ketamine in the five days leading up to his death.

In addition to Iwamasa, physicians Salvador Plascencia and Mark Chavez are among the defendants. They have pleaded not guilty to charges that allege they supplied Perry with more ketamine as his desperation grew. Plascencia allegedly mocked Perry in a text message to Dr. Chavez, writing, “I wonder how much this moron will pay.” Prosecutors revealed that the two doctors fraudulently provided Perry with 22 vials of ketamine and lozenges.

Known as “Dr. P.,” Plascencia also guided Iwamasa on how to inject Perry with ketamine, even though Iwamasa lacked medical training. According to court documents, Iwamasa texted Plascencia on October 4 about experimenting with different injection sites, which led to running out of the drug.

“These defendants took advantage of Mr. Perry’s addiction issues to enrich themselves,” said Martin Estrada, the United States attorney for the Central District of California, during a news conference on Thursday.

Jasveen Sangha, accused of being a dealer, and Erik Fleming, an acquaintance who pleaded guilty to acting as a middleman, are the other two defendants.

Source: Various