Arabic version: تم الحكم على مساعد لدوره في وفاة ماثيو بيري بسبب جرعة زائدة

Kenneth Iwamasa, the live-in personal assistant of late actor Matthew Perry, has been sentenced to 41 months in prison for his involvement in the actor’s death. Iwamasa, 60, was found guilty of injecting Perry with ketamine, collaborating with two doctors to provide the actor with more than $50,000 worth of the drug prior to his death. Notably, Iwamasa had no medical training.

According to BBC News, Perry was found dead in his backyard hot tub in Los Angeles in October 2023. Iwamasa pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death, facing a potential maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison. In addition to his prison term, he received two years of supervised release and was fined $10,000.

Prosecutors had sought a longer prison term of three years and five months for Iwamasa, who was the first of five defendants to reach a plea deal in the case and the last to be sentenced. Prior to the sentencing, Perry’s family expressed their sentiments in letters to the judge, with his sister Caitlin Morrison stating she had “no sympathy” for Iwamasa, suggesting he abandoned Perry during a vulnerable moment.

Medical officials indicated that Perry’s overdose was primarily due to the acute effects of ketamine, with drowning also contributing to his death. Iwamasa admitted to multiple injections of the drug, including on the day of Perry’s death. U.S. officials have stated that the group of defendants exploited Perry’s drug addiction for profit, ultimately leading to his fatal overdose.

The case has seen multiple defendants plead guilty to various charges, including Jasveen Sangha, dubbed the “Ketamine Queen,” who was sentenced to 15 years for selling drugs linked to Perry’s death. Other defendants, including doctors involved in supplying the drug, have also received prison sentences or home detention as a result of their roles in the case.