Plasencia, 43, owner of an emergency clinic in Malibu, pleaded guilty in July to four charges related to the distribution of ketamine.
He was arrested in 2023 together with Jasveen Sangha, also known as the ‘Ketamine Queen’ in Hollywood. She pleaded guilty in September and will be sentenced on December 10.
On the hunt for the perpetrator(s) in Hollywood tragedy: who contributed to the death of Matthew Perry?
Two doctors
Plasencia, along with Carlos Chavez, is one of two doctors convicted of administering ketamine to Perry. The widely loved actor was found unconscious in a jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home. Chavez will be sentenced on December 17.
Salvador Plasencia with his legal team. © ANP/HH
Plasencia acknowledged in his plea agreement that he injected Perry with liquid ketamine several times in the weeks before his death, even in a car. That detail became a symbol of the recklessness with which the network around Perry operated.
Second ‘unscrupulous doctor’ pleads guilty in Matthew Perry’s death after illegal ketamine distribution: ‘I wonder how much this idiot will pay’
“The day the suspect met Perry, he disclosed his profit motive. He told an accomplice, ‘I wonder how much this idiot will pay’ and ‘Let’s find out,'” prosecutors said.
‘Biggest mistake of his life’
His lawyers argued that Plasencia treated Perry recklessly “without adequate knowledge of ketamine therapy and without a full understanding of his patient’s addiction” and that it was “the biggest mistake of his life.”
Erik Fleming (intermediary) and Kenneth Iwamasa (assistant) were also linked to the network that provided ketamine to Perry. All five suspects have pleaded guilty.
Victim statements
Before the case, Matthew Perry’s parents filed heartbreaking victim impact statements.
According to his mother Suzanne and stepfather Keith Morrison, Plasencia is ‘the guiltiest’ of them all. “Every right-thinking person knew about Matthew’s struggles. But this doctor broke his vows, repeatedly, meeting with him in secret, sometimes at night. For what? A few thousand dollars? To take advantage of our son’s vulnerability. That was evident from his question: ‘How much will this idiot pay?’”
Perry’s biological father John and stepmother Debby also made themselves heard. They refuse to give Plasencia “the dignity” of hearing their emotions.
They criticized the controversial doctor: “A doctor whose life is dedicated to helping people? What on earth were you thinking? How long did you think you could give Matthew doses without death eventually ensuing? Did you care about him? Have you thought about this? How many more people have you damaged without our knowledge?”