A doctor who pleaded guilty to selling ketamine to Matthew Perry was sentenced to two and a half years (30 months) in prison on Wednesday at an emotional hearing over the Friends star's overdose death.
Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett handed down the sentence that included two years of probation and a $5,600 fine to 44-year-old Dr. Salvador Plasencia in a federal courtroom in Los Angeles.
The judge emphasided that Plasencia didn't provide the ketamine that killed Perry, but told him, "You and others helped Mr. Perry on the road to such an ending by continuing to feed his ketamine addiction."
"You exploited Mr. Perry's addiction for your own profit," she said.
Plasencia was led from the courtroom in handcuffs as his mother cried in the audience. He might have arranged a date to surrender, but his lawyers said he was prepared to do it today.
Perry struggled with addiction for years, dating back to his time on Friends, when he became one of the biggest stars of his generation as Chandler Bing. He starred alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004 on NBC's megahit.
Who's responsible for Perry's death
Plasencia was the first person sentenced of the five defendants who have pleaded guilty in connection with Perry's death at age 54 in 2023.
The doctor admitted to taking advantage of Perry, knowing he was a struggling addict. Plasencia texted another doctor that Perry was a "moron" who could be exploited for money, according to court filings.
Prosecutors had asked for three years in prison, while the defense sought just a day in prison plus probation.
Perry's mother talked about the things he overcame in life and the strength he showed.
"I used to think he couldn't die," Suzanne Perry said as her husband, Dateline journalist Keith Morrison, stood at the podium with her.
"You called him a 'moron,'" she said, addressing Plasencia. "There is nothing moronic about that man. He was even a successful drug addict."
She spoke eloquently and apologised for rambling before getting tearful at the end, saying, "this was a bad thing you did!"
Plasencia apologises to Perry's family
Plasencia also spoke, moments after Suzanne Perry, breaking into tears as he imagined the day he would have to tell his now 2-year-old son "about the time I didn't protect another mother's son. It hurts me so much. I can't believe I'm here."
He apologised directly to Perry's family. "I should have protected him," he said.
Perry had been taking the surgical anesthetic ketamine legally as a treatment for depression. But when his regular doctor wouldn't provide it in the amounts he wanted, he turned to Plasencia.
Plasencia pleaded guilty in July to four counts of distribution of ketamine. He did not plead to causing Perry's death, and the amount he distributed was relatively small given that he sold only to Perry. (AP)