Doctor pleads guilty in connection with Perry's death

One of two California doctors who were among the five people charged in the overdose death of Friends star Matthew Perry has pleaded guilty to a charge of illegally distributing the drug ketamine.

Dr Mark Chavez entered the plea during an appearance in US District Court in Los Angeles. At sentencing, he could face up to ten years in prison.

Another physician charged in the case, Dr Salvador Plasencia, has pleaded not guilty, as has co-defendant Jasveen Sangha, who authorities said was an illicit supplier of the drug and was known as the "ketamine queen". The pair are scheduled to go on trial in March.

Mr Perry's live-in personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, who admitted to injecting Mr Perry, and the alleged middleman who said he obtained ketamine from Ms Sangha, have already pleaded guilty to charges they faced.

Authorities said Dr Plasencia purchased ketamine from Dr Chavez, and in text messages to Dr Chavez discussing the amount to charge Mr Perry for the drug wrote: "I wonder how much this moron will pay."

Dr Plasencia administered ketamine to Mr Perry and supplied vials that were injected by the assistant, according to court documents.

Mr Perry died at the age of 54 in October 2023 from "acute effects" of ketamine and other factors that caused him to lose consciousness and drown in his hot tub, according to a December 2023 autopsy report.

The actor had publicly acknowledged decades of substance abuse, including during the years he starred as Chandler Bing on the hit 1990s television sitcom "Friends".

Matt Binninger, Dr Chavez's attorney, told reporters in August that his client was "doing everything in his power to cooperate, to help in this situation".

"He's incredibly remorseful," Mr Binninger said.

The lawyer added that Dr Chavez's regret stemmed not from Mr Perry's celebrity but from the fact that "someone who was trying to seek treatment died".