One of the two doctors charged in connection with Matthew Perry’s death has pleaded guilty.
Mark Chavez, 54, was one of a total of five defendants who were charged in connection with the investigation surrounding the ‘Friends’ actor’s death aged 54 on 28 October 2023 from the “acute effects of ketamine” at his home in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles.
He appeared in a Los Angeles court on Wednesday (02.10.24) to enter his plea and could face up to 10 years in prison.
Matthew had been taking ketamine six to eight times a day before he died, according to court documents.
Chavez’s lawyer Matthew Binninger said after his client’s first court appearance in August he is “incredibly remorseful” and is attempting to do “everything in his power” to “right the wrong that happened here”.
Along with Chavez, the other four individuals charged in connection with Perry’s death were Eric Fleming, 54, another doctor named Salvador Plasencia, 42, who is known as ‘Dr P’, as well as Jasveen Sangha, 41, who has been branded in court documents as LA’s ‘Ketamine Queen’.
Chavez is the third person to have pleaded guilty in the case, with Iwamasa pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death.
He has also admitted repeatedly injecting Matthew with ketamine without medical training, including on the day he died.
Fleming has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death.
He admitted to giving Iwamasa the ketamine that killed Matthew, who spent years battling addictions to drink and drugs.
Chavez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute ketamine in federal court in Los Angeles at an 11am hearing on Wednesday.
He exited the courtroom after entering his plea and is free on a $50,000 bond – and will be sentenced at a later date.
