Dr. Mark Chavez of San Diego has pleaded guilty to illegally distributing ketamine in connection with the overdose death of "Friends" star Matthew Perry. Chavez, 54, faces up to 10 years in prison, while two others, including another doctor, are set to stand trial in March 2024.
One of two California doctors charged in the overdose death of "Friends" star Matthew Perry, Dr. Mark Chavez of San Diego, pleaded guilty Wednesday to illegally distributing ketamine.
Chavez, who appeared in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, faces up to 10 years in prison, with sentencing set for April. Another doctor, Dr. Salvador Plasencia, and co-defendant Jasveen Sangha, known as the "ketamine queen," have pleaded not guilty and are set to go to trial in March.
Perry's live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, who admitted to injecting Perry with ketamine, and the alleged middleman who got the drug from Jasveen Sangha, have both pleaded guilty. Authorities said Dr. Plasencia bought ketamine from Dr. Chavez and, in text messages to Chavez, wrote: "I wonder how much this moron will pay" when discussing the price to charge Perry.
In court on Wednesday, Chavez, 54, stood at a podium and answered "yes, your honor" to several questions. He admitted obtaining ketamine through a fraudulent prescription for another patient, knowing it was meant for Perry. Chavez also acknowledged giving the drug to Plasencia and understood it should only be administered under medical supervision with proper safety equipment nearby.
Court documents reveal that Plasencia administered ketamine to Perry at the actor's home and provided vials later injected by the assistant. Plasencia’s lawyer maintains his client properly prescribed and administered the drug.
Perry, 54, died in October 2023 from the "acute effects" of ketamine and other factors that caused him to lose consciousness and drown in his hot tub, per a December 2023 autopsy. The actor had long acknowledged his struggles with substance abuse, including during his time on "Friends."
Chavez pleaded guilty in a deal with prosecutors, accepting lesser charges for cooperating against Plasencia and Sangha. "He has accepted responsibility. He is cooperating," said Chavez's attorney, Matt Binninger. Chavez has given up his medical license and remains free on bond until sentencing.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has tasked Gadi Eisenkot, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s main rival, with trying to form a government aft...
Nvidia has launched an independent investigation into whether its chief executive, Jensen Huang, was targeted in a foreign intelligence operat...
More than 700 primary healthcare facilities in Afghanistan have closed since 2025 following cuts to international aid, a senior UN official has war...
Poland has declared two days of national mourning after a gunman opened fire in Kraków's historic main square. Investigators are examining possible far-right influences and the discovery of three bodies at the suspect's home.
Monday marks the second of two days of national mourning in Poland as police bolstered security after six people were killed in a mass shooting in Kraków.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by the Iran-aligned group towards Riyadh on Sunday (8 November), after loud booms were heard in the Saudi capital. The Aramco building was damaged by falling debris.
Azerbaijan is marking the sixth anniversary of Victory Day on Sunday, 8 November, with President Ilham Aliyev visiting the Victory Monument in Khankendi, laying a wreath and paying tribute to servicemen killed during the 44-day Second Garabagh War in 2020.
The gunman who allegedly killed six people in Poland’s unprecedented mass shooting in central Kraków on Saturday has died in hospital, police said early Monday. The attacker had demonstrated advanced military-style marksmanship skills, according to a spokesperson for the shooting club he attended.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced that its 2027 Costume Institute exhibition and Met Gala will explore how designers transform everyday clothing and ordinary materials into works of art.
Australia has returned two ancient stone statue heads to China, more than 30 years after they were taken from imperial tombs in central China.
Uzbekistan is launching a new fashion academy in Tashkent to help local clothing manufacturers build their own brands, sharpen design skills and compete in international markets.
Baku is set to host the second “Fly to Baku” Art Weekend from 30 October to 1 November, bringing together Azerbaijani and international artists to explore the Caucasus’ wildlife and cultural heritage, and the need to protect nature.
A rare 67-million-year-old dinosaur skeleton known as “Jodi” has sold for $47.3 million at Sotheby’s in New York, smashing its pre-sale estimate and becoming the second-most expensive dinosaur fossil ever sold at auction.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment