Kenneth Iwamasa, the personal assistant to actor Matthew Perry, was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison for his role in distributing ketamine that led to Perry's death in October 2023 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]. He was also fined $10,000 and given two years of supervised release after prison [1, 6, 7].
Perry was found dead in his Los Angeles backyard hot tub on October 28, 2023. The autopsy ruled the cause of death as acute ketamine effects with drowning as a contributing factor [1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8]. Iwamasa injected Perry repeatedly with ketamine in the weeks before and on the day Perry died. Prosecutors said he gave Perry more than 25 injections during that period, including three or more on the final day [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8]. Perry reportedly told Iwamasa to "Shoot me up with a big one" on the day he died [3, 5, 8].
Though Iwamasa had no medical training, he worked closely with two doctors who supplied ketamine to Perry, spending at least $50,000 to procure the drug between September and October 2023 [1, 2, 6, 8]. Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett noted Iwamasa was aware of Perry's addiction struggles and concealed evidence after Perry’s death, which influenced the sentencing [1, 4, 5, 6, 7].
Iwamasa pleaded guilty in August 2024 to conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death, the final sentence closing the criminal case surrounding Perry’s overdose [1, 6]. Other defendants in the case received sentences including 15 years for Jasveen Sangha, known as the "Ketamine Queen," two years for drug counselor Erik Fleming, 30 months for Dr. Salvador Plasencia, and eight months’ home detention plus supervised release for Dr. Mark Chavez [2, 3, 5, 6, 8].
During sentencing, Iwamasa expressed deep regret. "I'm so sorry to all of you. I'm just so sorry to have done illegal acts that I will forever regret. I will take it to my grave," he said. "I hope I'll be a cautionary tale to someone who's in my position to make better choices" [1].
Perry’s mother Suzanne Morrison called Iwamasa’s betrayal devastating: "Kenny’s most important job—by far—was to be my son’s companion and guardian in his fight against addiction. We trusted a man without a conscience, and my son paid the price" [8]. Perry's sisters also condemned Iwamasa. Caitlin Morrison said, "I have no sympathy for Kenny Iwamasa. He was either escaping from something he knew he had done or he was willfully abandoning a vulnerable person in a dangerous situation" [1]. Madeline Morrison added, "The idea that someone my brother considered family could betray him in such an unimaginable way is something I never could have conceived" [7].
