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Matthew Perry’s personal assistant who injected the actor with ketamine that led to a fatal overdose was sentenced Wednesday to 41 months in prison.
The associate, Kenneth Iwamasa, pleaded guilty in 2024 to a charge of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death. He repeatedly administered the drug to Perry despite numerous warning signs of danger, and administered the dose that killed him on October 28, 2023.
The ruling brings an end to a years-long legal saga after Perry was discovered unresponsive and floating face-down in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home after becoming increasingly dependent on drugs. Four others were charged and sentenced in connection with the death.
Iwamasa, who was paid $150,000 a year, had known Perry since 1992 and became his resident assistant in 2022. Prosecutors said he was aware of the actor’s struggle with addiction and doctors warned him he should not self-administer ketamine.
Beginning in 2023, Perry directed Iwamasa to purchase ketamine for him, according to the sentencing memorandum. Salvador Plascencia, who was sentenced to 30 months in prison last year for supplying the actor with 20 vials of ketamine over a two-week period in the lead-up to his overdose, was given as a source. Iwamasa purchased dozens of vials of the drug across multiple purchases, injecting Perry as the actor’s addiction worsened. “I found the right place but trying different places led to me running out of ketamine,” he told Placencia.
Iwamasa found Perry unconscious on at least two occasions due to adverse reactions to ketamine, prosecutors said. In the days leading up to the overdose, the former assistant injected the actor with increasing amounts. Perry was found dead in the jacuzzi after taking a large dose, Perry’s third of the day.
The prosecution demanded a 41-month prison sentence. They said Iwamasa took steps to cover up his involvement in Perry’s death, concealing the actor’s use of ketamine when questioned by law enforcement and removing bottles and syringes of ketamine from his home. Ultimately, he cooperated in the investigation and provided information that led to the discovery of the ketamine that killed the actor, according to court documents.
In a letter to the court, Perry’s mother, Susan Morrison, said Iwamasa “killed my son.”
“Kenny knew, if he felt undue pressure, that with one phone call to any number of people in Matthew’s orbit, reinforcements would be on the way, and his job would be safe,” she added. “But instead of protecting Matthew, he aided and abetted illegal drug use, arranging one source of supply, then another. He released drugs into Matthew’s body even though he was completely unqualified.”
Perry’s sister, Madeleine Morrison, said Iwamasa “betrayed[ed]“Family by purchasing drug actor.
Iwamasa asked to be sentenced to six months in prison and six months of house arrest. He maintained that he was simply following his employer’s directions and risking his job if he refused.
In April, North Hollywood drug dealer Jasvin Sangha, who pleaded guilty to selling the ketamine that killed Perry, was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
