Matthew Perry's assistant sentenced to 41 months in prison
What's the story
Kenneth Iwamasa, the live-in personal assistant of late F.R.I.E.N.D.S star Matthew Perry, has been sentenced to 41 months in prison. This comes after a lengthy legal battle over the actor's untimely death. Iwamasa, who is 60 years old, pleaded guilty to injecting Perry with ketamine and working with two doctors to provide him with over $50,000 worth of the drug before his demise.
Court proceedings
Iwamasa received probation and a fine
Iwamasa was sentenced on Wednesday. He also received two years of probation and a $10,000 fine. The judge emphasized Iwamasa's awareness of Perry's addiction struggles and his efforts to hide evidence post-death while delivering the sentence. "You were privy to his trouble with addiction," Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett told Iwamasa before sentencing.
Apology
'I'm just so sorry,' Iwamasa told Perry's family
During the court proceedings, Iwamasa turned to face Perry's family and said, "I'm so sorry to all of you. I'm just so sorry to have done illegal acts that I will forever regret." He added that he was "horribly, horribly sorry" and offered them his condolences. His attorney, Alan Eisner, told reporters that Iwamasa acted under Perry's direction and argued there was an uneven power dynamic between the assistant and his employer.
Case details
The actor died from an overdose
Iwamasa admitted to repeatedly administering ketamine to Perry, including on the day of his death. Medical officials confirmed that the actor's overdose was due to the acute effects of the dissociative anesthetic, and drowning was a contributing factor. Meanwhile, in April, Jasveen Sangha, a Los Angeles woman known as the "Ketamine Queen," was sentenced to 15 years in prison for supplying the drugs linked to Perry's death.