A doctor who pleaded guilty to selling ketamine to Matthew Perry was sentenced to 2.5 years 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 emphasised that Dr. Plasencia didn’t provide the ketamine that killed Matthew, 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.
Dr. 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.
Matthew’s family describes their grief
Matthew’s mother, stepmother and two half sisters gave tearful victim impact statements before the sentencing.
“My brother’s death turned my world upside down,” sister Madeline Morrison said, crying. “It punched a crater in my life. His absence is everywhere.”
She talked about the broad effect of losing him.
“The world mourns my brother. He was everyone's favorite friend,” Morrison said, adding “celebrities are not plastic dolls that you can take advantage of. They're people. They're human beings with families.”
Matthew 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.
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