One of the two California doctors implicated in the investigation concerning actor Matthew Perry's overdose death is anticipated to plead guilty to charges associated with the surgical anesthetic ketamine, as reported by the Hollywood Reporter. A Department of Justice official confirmed this information on Friday, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Mark Chavez, 54, appeared in a Los Angeles federal court on Friday for a bond hearing and arraignment. Ciaran McEvoy from the United States Attorneys' Office stated that Chavez is expected to enter a guilty plea in the coming weeks. This plea will mark the third in the ongoing investigation into Perry's death.
The Friends actor was discovered dead in October in the hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home. The Hollywood Reporter reveals that the investigation into Perry's death has resulted in the arrest of five individuals, including Chavez, Perry's assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, another doctor named Salvador Plasencia, a drug dealer, and a woman known as the "ketamine queen."
Jasveen Sangha, the woman referred to as the "ketamine queen," and Salvador were identified as the primary defendants in this case. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office reported that Perry died from the acute effects of ketamine, which caused cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression.
The amount of ketamine found in Perry's blood was similar to that used during general anesthesia. The medical examiner also noted that drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine, a drug used to treat opioid addiction, were contributing factors in Perry's death.
Chavez is additionally accused of using a fake prescription and making false statements to a wholesale ketamine distributor.
