In a heartbreaking victim impact statement, Matthew Perry’s mother Suzanne Morrison accused Perry’s former assistant Kenneth Iwamasa of fueling the addiction that led to Perry’s death in 2023.
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“His primary responsibility was to ensure that Matthew remained drug-free. But instead of protecting Matthew, he aided and abetted illegal drug use, arranging one source and then another,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison wrote.
Perry, 54, was found unresponsive in the bathtub of her home and died. It was later determined that he died from an accidental ketamine overdose.
In the months before her death, Perry underwent several treatments for anxiety and depression, including intravenous ketamine therapy. Prosecutors said he later became dependent on the treatment and asked for additional doses.
The Department of Justice announced that Iwamasa, 59, conspired with Jasveen Sangha, 41, also known as the Ketamine Queen of North Hollywood, Eric Fleming, 54, and Dr. Salvador Plasencia, 42, of Santa Monica, also known as “Dr. P,” to illegally obtain ketamine and distribute it to Perry.
On August 7, 2024, Iwamasa pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in the death of an actor. He admitted repeatedly injecting Mr Perry with ketamine without medical training, including administering multiple injections on October 28, 2023.
The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office noted that ketamine is a hallucinogenic anesthetic and was being used as part of an unrelated treatment for depression.
Prior to his sentencing, Morrison wrote a victim impact statement obtained by NBC News. In it, Mr Morrison said he called his son “Masso” but called her “Mama Muma”, a childhood name he used for her throughout his life.
“He was my matzo, my Maneu. Despite what we had been through, he was my heart and soul. And then one night he became just a body, lying almost naked on the cold, wet grass in my backyard,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison wrote.
“A helicopter was circling overhead, trying to get a glimpse of my dead child – a picture for the whole world to see – while I stood on the street in the cold, trying to find a blanket to cover him with. Of course that’s impossible.”
Prime Minister Scott Morrison wrote that Perry had “struggled with addiction for half, more than half, of his life.”
“He fought and failed, but he came back to fight again,” she wrote. “By the time of his death, he knew more than almost anyone about that particular betrayal. He wanted to help others escape the horrors he had lived with for so long, but he was also determined to continue his career as an actor and writer.”
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Mr Perry trusted Mr Iwamasa, who he called “Kenny”, and that his family believed Mr Iwamasa “understood” his struggle with addiction. However, even though Iwamasa was supposed to be his “companion and protector in his struggle with addiction,” he instead helped him.
“He shot drugs into Matthew’s body, and he was completely unqualified to do so. He did it even though it was obvious to everyone that he was dangerous. And he did it over and over again.”
Prime Minister Scott Morrison also wrote that Mr Iwamasa “insisted” on speaking at Mr Perry’s funeral and portrayed himself as “a good man who tried to save Matthew”. She said he sent her songs and tried to stay close to his family afterward.
“He clung to me and my family like he was a good guy trying to save Matthew,” she wrote.
“We trusted a man with no conscience and our son paid the price,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison wrote.
Iwamasa’s sentence is scheduled to be handed down on May 27th.
