Perry was found dead by his assistant on Oct 28, 2023. The medical examiner ruled that ketamine was the primary cause of death. The actor had been using the drug through his regular doctor in a legal but off-label treatment for depression that has become increasingly common.
Perry began seeking more ketamine than his doctor would give him. About a month before the actor’s death, he found Plasencia, who in turn allegedly asked Chavez to obtain the drug for him.
“I wonder how much this moron will pay,” Plasencia texted Chavez, according to court filings from prosecutors. The two met up the same day in Costa Mesa, halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego, and exchanged at least four vials of ketamine, the filings said.
After selling the drugs to Perry for US$4,500, Plasencia allegedly asked Chavez if he could keep supplying them so they could become Perry’s “go-to”, prosecutors said.
While reading allegations in court Wednesday, prosecutors described a text exchange in which Plasencia asked Chavez if he approved of what they were doing.
“Depends on your tolerance for risk,” Chavez said.
When Plasencia asked him if he was interested in starting a ketamine clinic, Chavez said he might be on board, so long as there was no “shady stuff”.
US Attorney Martin Estrada said in announcing the charges Aug 15 that “the doctors preyed on Perry’s history of addiction in the final months of his life last year to provide him with ketamine in amounts they knew were dangerous”.
Perry 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 sitcom.