Sentencing for Personal Assistant in Matthew Perry’s Death
A final decision is set to be made regarding the personal assistant involved in the tragic death of Matthew Perry, who died from a drug overdose of ketamine—a situation that has been unfolding over the past two and a half years.
Kenneth Iwamasa, 60, is due to be sentenced in a Los Angeles federal court on Wednesday by Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett. This comes after four co-defendants were sentenced over the past year.
Iwamasa was the first to strike a deal with prosecutors, admitting guilt in August 2024 to charges related to conspiracy to cause death through drug distribution. This will be his first appearance in court since the situation gained public attention.
As a key witness for the prosecution, Iwamasa is facing a recommended sentence of three years and five months in prison. This is notably lighter than the potential penalties he could have faced without cooperating; however, it’s still among the more serious sentences compared to his co-defendants.
His attorney noted in a court document that Iwamasa was merely following orders and that his connection with Perry had particular vulnerabilities. “In essence, he just couldn’t say no, and that lack of judgment had dire consequences,” the lawyer stated.
Some family members of Perry may address the court, but they have already expressed in a letter that Iwamasa bears the greatest responsibility for the actor’s demise. Iwamasa, a long-time friend, mistakenly believed he was helping Perry manage his sobriety, yet ultimately enabled him to succumb to his addiction.
“Matthew trusted Kenny. We trusted Kenny. He was supposed to be a companion and protector for our son during his battle with addiction,” wrote Perry’s mother, Suzanne Morrison. “We placed our faith in a man devoid of conscience, and our son suffered for it.”
Perry had employed Iwamasa in 2022, paying him a salary of $150,000 to assist him in his Los Angeles home.
An investigation determined that the main cause of Perry’s death was ketamine, with drowning as a contributing factor.
Though Perry had a legal prescription for ketamine to manage depression, he sought more than what his doctor prescribed. Iwamasa’s plea agreement revealed that he acquired ketamine without a prescription from another physician, Salvador Plasencia, who was sentenced to two and a half years in prison in July.
Iwamasa later began sourcing ketamine from Eric Fleming, a known acquaintance of Perry’s, who procured it from a street vendor. Fleming received a two-year sentence just two weeks ago.
In April, Jasbeen Sangha, a dealer referred to as the “Queen of Ketamine,” was sentenced to 15 years.
In the months leading up to Perry’s death, Iwamasa was administering six to eight injections daily. On October 23, 2023, he injected Perry with a substantial amount of ketamine, then left the premises. When he returned, Perry was discovered lifeless in the Jacuzzi.
The Los Angeles County Coroner confirmed ketamine as the primary cause of death and identified drowning as a secondary cause.
Iwamasa initially misled authorities by omitting ketamine from the list of substances Perry was using and failing to mention the injections. However, his story began to fall apart when investigators executed search warrants in January 2024.
Perry rose to fame as one of the lead actors on NBC’s beloved sitcom, Friends, which ran from 1994 to 2004, alongside stars like Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston.
