Death of "Friends" star Matthew Perry "Ketamine Queen" surprisingly pleads guilty
A dealer wants to plead guilty in the Matthew Perry case in a surprise move. The actor died in October 2023 - partly due to a high dose of ketamine, which the woman is said to have supplied.
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- A 42-year-old woman known as the "ketamine queen" has surprisingly struck a deal with the public prosecutor's office in the case surrounding the death of "Friends" star Matthew Perry.
- She had initially pleaded not guilty, but the evidence weighed heavily against her.
- According to the investigation, she supplied the fatal dose of ketamine that cost Matthew Perry his life on October 28, 2023.
- Despite the plea deal, she faces up to 65 years in prison as she had already supplied ketamine to a woman who died in 2019.
- The sentence is to be determined in the coming months.
The sudden death of "Friends" star Matthew Perry in October 2023 caused consternation and grief in Hollywood and around the world - and raised many questions. The 54-year-old was found dead in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home with an unusually high amount of the drug ketamine in his blood. Five people, including doctors, dealers and one of the actor's assistants, were quickly targeted by the police and the public prosecutor's office. Now the court case has taken a dramatic turn.
A drug supplier known as the "Ketamine Queen", who was due to appear in court in September in what is likely to be a media-heavy trial, has surprisingly agreed to a deal with the public prosecutor's office. According to a statement from the authorities on Monday (local time), she will plead guilty to five charges. Among other things, the 42-year-old allegedly supplied the dose of the anaesthetic ketamine that led to the actor's death on October 28, 2023.
"Russian roulette" with Perry's life
The woman was arrested in August 2024. At the arraignment, she had initially pleaded not guilty. However, the allegations against the dealer were massive. She allegedly sold Perry 51 doses of ketamine via an intermediary in the weeks before his death. On the day of his death, Perry's assistant is said to have administered at least three doses to the star at his request. When the news of the death went viral, the dealer reportedly told her assistants to delete all text messages about the procurement and to cover their tracks.
Prosecutor Martin Estrada said last fall that the dealers and helpers had taken advantage of Perry's addiction problems to enrich themselves. They had played Russian roulette with his life.
Nine charges were brought against the dealer. In return for her guilty plea, the public prosecutor's office is now dropping some of the charges and the proceedings. In the coming months, she will formally plead guilty and then receive the sentence for her actions, it was said. The woman faces a heavy sentence, with a maximum of 65 years in prison. The 42-year-old, who holds an American and a British passport, faces further aggravating circumstances. She admitted to selling four vials of ketamine to a woman in 2019; the victim died of an overdose a few hours later.
Tragic death in the hot tub
In addition to the drug supplier, two doctors, an assistant and an acquaintance of the actor were also arrested after Perry's death. All four have already pleaded guilty to supplying Perry with ketamine. They face maximum sentences of between ten and 25 years. They will find out the length of their sentences in the coming months.
Perry was found dead in the hot tub in his home in Los Angeles. Prior to this, the actor had repeatedly spoken publicly about his battle with addiction to alcohol and drugs and had also written about it in his autobiography "Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing".
According to a coroner's inquest, Perry died from the effects of taking ketamine. He also suffered from heart disease and the effects of a drug used to treat opioid addiction.
Illegal club drug
Ketamine has been a proven anesthetic for decades. Some partygoers also use it as an illegal club drug. People with treatment-resistant depression can also be treated with ketamine under certain conditions.
According to reports, Perry had undergone ketamine therapy for depression and anxiety. However, the last session before his death had been a week and a half ago, which is why the ketamine in his body at the time of death could not have come from this infusion therapy, according to the coroner's office.
