At a press conference in Los Angeles on Thursday, the investigation into the five suspects in Matthew Perry's death was presented. According to the authorities, a "large criminal network" has been discovered that sold ketamine, and the two doctors are suspected of being driving forces.
One of the doctors goes by the nickname "Ketamine Queen" and the police found large quantities of the drug at her home during a search.
According to prosecutor Martin Estrada, the five suspects all collaborated to supply Perry with large quantities of drugs and speculated in chat messages about how much the star "would be willing to pay". Two of the suspects are currently in custody.
Forged documents
One of the doctors personally gave Matthew Perry injections at the star's home and also forged documents about ongoing treatment for depression. Perry's personal assistant also allegedly helped the actor inject ketamine at home, according to New York Times reports.
Ketamine should only be administered by doctors to patients under supervision, which was not the case with Perry.
The suspects discussed Perry's death shortly after it occurred and together tried to destroy evidence and conceal their involvement in the events.
They exploited Matthew Perry's addiction problems to make money. They knew they were doing wrong, says Estrada at the press conference.
High levels
The "Friends" star was found dead in his pool in Los Angeles, and during the autopsy, the doctors found traces of the drug ketamine in his blood. The levels of the drug measured in Perry's body were comparable to the amount used to anesthetize a patient during an operation.
The police launched a collaboration with several other authorities, including the drug enforcement agency, in May this year to investigate what led to the 54-year-old star's death. Initially, the case was written off as an accident.
Previous cases
It is not uncommon for the police to investigate deaths and prosecute individuals who have prescribed medication, even legal ones, that cause someone's death.
In the case of Michael Jackson's death in 2009, his personal doctor Conrad Murray was convicted of manslaughter for supplying the star with narcotics. The dealer who sold fentanyl mixed with heroin to actor Michael K Williams in 2021 was prosecuted and sentenced to prison in 2022.
