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I'm glad it's done, but to say I'm angry as I understand. The closing chapter for Matthew Perry's mother, Suzanne, and his stepfather, Keith Morrison, sworn by cameras as they left the Los Angeles courtroom. What happens if Matthew gets into any trouble with drugs? No, you call. Instead, he controls him by the use of ketamine. Perry's living assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, sentenced to 3 years and 5 months in prison and fined $10,000 for obtaining and injecting Perry with a lethal dose of ketamine. Is now the last of five defendants sentenced in Perry's 2023 death.
He'll continue to regret forever his actions in this case. Iwamasa and his attorney were inundated with questions after the sentencing and continued to defend his actions. He could have said no. Mr. Perry could have said no. Mr. Perry's handlers could have said no. Mr. Perry's family could have said no along the way. This is not an incident that falls solely on the shoulders of Mr. Iwamasa. But Mr. Iwamasa injected Mr. Perry at Mr. Perry's direction. He injected Mr. Iwamasa. Yes. At his boss's direction. I Masa was facing up to 15 years in prison, but based on a number of factors like participating in the prosecution and giving crucial information that convicted the other
codefendants, it was the government who requested 41 months or a little under 3 and 1/2 years. And the judge went in line with that. Her words, he was reckless, but he's probably far more than that. The 61-year-old was called a monster by Perry's loved ones who felt Iwamasa's actions were the ultimate betrayal. Keith Morrison addressing Iwamasa in court, saying, "Because you were living a dandy life, you were in control of one of the most famous people in the world." According to prosecutors, Iamasa knew Matthew Perry since about 1992. They were friends acquaintances back more than 30 years ago. And then in 2022, he becomes Matthew Perry's assistant. He's making $150,000 a year. He seems
intimately involved in almost everything that's going on in Perry's life and Perry's career. And devastating new details have emerged as prosecutors allege in court documents that Iwamasa lied to investigators numerous times and tampered with evidence after discovering Perry dead in his jacuzzi. Prosecutors accuse Iwamasa of obstructing their investigation. They accuse him of hiring somebody to clean up the house to discard ketamine vials. Harry's family in letters to the court detailed their pain. What really struck me is as a judge reading that statement and seeing what Matthew Perry's mother wrote, it's just it's it's not only the words of a mother who was heartbroken at the
loss of her son through an overdose. she describes of somebody who the family trusted to help Matthew on his road of trying to live a life of sobriety. Iwamasa received the second highest sentence in the case after Jasine Songha, a convicted drug dealer nicknamed the ketamine queen, who often posted photos on social media depicting her high-end lifestyle. The ketamine queen got the highest sentence of any of the five codefendants in this case. She was hit with 15 years in prison. Two of the other five are doctors who lost their license. One was granted probation avoiding any prison time and another 2 and a half years in prison. Then there
was Eric Fleming who was given two years of prison for his involvement in the death of Matthew Perry. requesting two additional units and a supervisor respond to Blue Sail Drive. The beloved actor's death rattled Hollywood and beyond in October of 2023. We're learning more about Perry's final hours. Known around the world as Chandler Bing on Friends. I'm Chandler. I make jokes when I'm uncomfortable. He spoke with Diane Sawyer in one of his final interviews about his struggles with substance abuse.
How will we know when you're in trouble and you're not okay? If I say I'm just gonna chill alone at home tonight. And part two, the other thing is if I ever say I'm cured. For years, he battled addiction with drugs, alcohol, and ultimately ketamine, a powerful drug sometimes legally prescribed for mental health treatments. Matthew Perry sought treatment for depression and anxiety and went to a local clinic where he became addicted to introvenous ketamine. When clinic doctors refused to increase his dosage, he turned to unscrupulous doctors who saw Perry as a way to make quick money. A month before Perry's death on September 30th, 2023, Iwamasa began looking to buy ketamine on the black market. The investigators uncovering
what they say are a series of shocking text messages between two doctors, Salvador Placencia and Mark Chavez. They talk about exploiting Mr. Perry and taking advantage of his addiction. They write, quote, "I wonder how much this will pay." According to the indictment, on that same day, Placencia made a house call to the Pacific Palisades, delivering ketamine and showing Perry's assistant how to inject him at home. Iamasa has no medical training. So, he had to figure out and learn how to inject this ketamine into Matthew Perry and that it was allegedly Dr. Placencia who said, "I will show you." On October 4th, 2023, investigators say there was a trail of more text messages.
There were a lot of messages that went back and forth between Iwamasa and Dr. Placencia saying, "We need more ketamine." But they didn't call it ketamine. They called it Dr. Pepper. From September to October 2023, they distributed approximately 20 vials of ketamine to Mr. Perry in exchange for $55,000 in cash. And finally, on October 28th, it would all come crashing down as investigators say Iwa Masa gave Perry two shots of ketamine before 12:45 p.m. at his home there in the Pacific Palisades. Shortly after 100 p.m., Perry asked Iwa Masa to prepare the jacuzzi and quote, "shoot me up with a big one." Big one would be Perry's last. Matthew Perry's family are really detailed in talking about the way that IA conducted
himself. In the minds of the family, this is real treachery. This is somebody who they perceived was there as an angel to be there to be Matthew Perry's aid in staying clean and sober. Harry's mother, Suzanne Morrison, writing, "We trusted a man without a conscience, and my son paid the price." But Matthew Perry's memory continues to live on. Personal items from his estate will be auctioned off next month to benefit the Matthew Perry Foundation, a nonprofit created by his loved ones in his honor. It's a complicated legacy. He's a cautionary tale in so many ways. And maybe the legacy winds up being the nonprofit foundation that was established in his name and somehow some good can come of it.
