Kenneth Iwamasa, the personal assistant to Friends star Matthew Perry who died after injecting him with ketamine, was sentenced to more than three years in prison on Wednesday, ending a years-long legal case.
Iwamasa pleaded guilty in 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine in Perry’s death. According to the Times, he was sentenced to 41 months in prison, two years of supervised release, a $10,000 fine, and an additional mandatory payment of $100. new York Times.
Prosecutors said Kenneth Iwamasa clearly understood the dangers involved. He knew Perry for several years and became her live-in assistant in 2022. According to prosecutors, he knew about Perry’s long struggle with addiction and even had a doctor warn him about concerns over the actor’s drug use.
Nevertheless, Iwamasa admitted to administering at least 27 ketamine injections to Perry in the days before his death on October 28, 2023, including at least three injections on the day of his death. Prosecutors also said Iwamasa had twice found Perry unconscious at home and had seen him “freeze” and lose the ability to speak after a large ketamine injection.
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Was Kenneth Iwamasa helping Matthew Perry?
Kenneth Iwamasa’s lawyers argued that he could not say no to Matthew Perry and described him as someone who “idolized Mr. Perry.” His lawyer, Alan Eisner, told the court that Iwamasa was “not someone who put drugs on an unwilling victim,” and even compared him to Batman’s butler Alfred Pennyworth.
But Perry’s family and the executors of his estate strongly disagreed. Perry’s stepfather, Keith Morrison, and estate executor Lisa Ferguson told the court that they believed Iwamasa wanted to retain the comfortable lifestyle Perry provided him, saying he neither earned nor deserved it.
He also said that Iwamasa appeared to have complete control over Perry’s life and could have contacted Perry’s family at any time to warn them about the actor’s condition.
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Perry’s mother, Suzanne Morrison, wrote an emotional letter to the court, describing what she saw as a betrayal of trust.
He reportedly wrote, “Matthew trusted Kenny. We trusted Kenny.”
“The most important thing Kenny ever did was to be my son’s partner and guardian in the fight against drugs. But instead of protecting Matthew, he aided and abetted illegal drug abuse, arranging one source of supply, then another.”
Iwamasa earned $150,000 a year as Perry’s assistant, according to court documents. His duties also included responsibilities related to Perry’s medical care.
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How did Matthew Perry’s assistant help him get ketamine?
According to The New York Times, Kenneth Iwamasa helped obtain ketamine for Matthew Perry through dealers and doctors, using coded words such as “Dr Pepper,” “can” and “bots.”
Prosecutors said Perry spent thousands of dollars on ketamine in the weeks before his death. The medical examiner later ruled that Perry died from the “acute effects” of ketamine.
In court, Iwamasa apologized to Perry’s family, saying: “I’m so sorry to all of you,” and “I’ll take this to my grave.”
Iwamasa is the last of five people to be sentenced in Perry’s death. Sangha received 15 years in prison, Fleming received two years, Plasencia received 30 months, and Chávez received three years of supervised release including eight months of home detention.