The woman charged with selling Friends’ star Matthew Perry the dose of ketamine that killed him will go on trial in September after it was postponed for a fourth time.
Jasveen Sangha, who prosecutors say was known to her customers as “The Ketamine Queen”, is the only accused to go on trial in relation to Perry’s death, after four other defendants reached plea agreements with prosecutors.
She is charged with five counts of ketamine distribution, including one count of distribution resulting in death. She has pleaded not guilty and has been held in federal custody since her arrest last year.
Sangha’s trial had been scheduled to begin on August 19, but was postponed for the fourth time since her April 2024 indictment. The trial is now scheduled to begin on September 23.
Both sides agreed that the trial should be moved to allow Sangha’s lawyers to work through the large amount of evidence they have received from the prosecution.
Dr Salvador Plasencia pleaded guilty to ketamine distribution in July.
Perry’s personal assistant, a friend and another doctor have also entered guilty pleas and are awaiting sentencing.
Perry was found dead at his home in Los Angeles on October 28, 2023.
The autopsy revealed that he had the same amount of ketamine in his bloodstream as the level used for general anaesthesia during surgery.
Perry, 54, had been getting ketamine from his regular doctor for treatment of depression, an increasingly common off-label use for the surgical anaesthetic.
Prosecutors say Perry illegally sought more from Plasencia and Sangha, who prosecutors say presented herself as “a celebrity drug dealer with high-quality goods”.
Perry’s assistant and friend said in their plea agreements that they acted as middlemen to buy large amounts of ketamine for Perry from Sangha, including $6,000-worth a few days before his death. Prosecutors allege those vials included the doses that killed Perry.
At a hearing in July, Plasencia admitted to supplying Perry with ketamine, despite knowing the Friends star was a struggling addict. The doctor’s attorneys said he was remorseful for his part in supplying the star with ketamine.
Plasencia pleaded guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine, although prosecutors claim the doctor did not sell Perry the fatal dose of Ketamine.
Plasencia faces up to 40 years in prison, with a sentencing hearing set for December.
“Dr Plasencia intends to voluntarily surrender his medical license, acknowledging his failure to protect Mr. Perry, a patient who was especially vulnerable due to addiction,” his prosecutors said in a statement.
“While Dr Plasencia was not treating Mr. Perry at the time of his death, he hopes his case serves as a warning to other medical professionals and leads to stricter oversight and clear protocols for the rapidly growing at-home ketamine industry in order to prevent future tragedies like this one.”
Within his plea agreement, Plasencia said he was connected to Perry through another patient, and that he illegally supplied the actor with 20 vials of ketamine in the month before his death, totalling 100mg of the drug.
Plasencia admitted that on one occasion, Perry froze up and his blood pressure spiked when the doctor gave him an injection, but Plasencia still left more ketamine for Perry’s assistant to inject.
In text messages sent to the other doctor who pleaded guilty previously, Plasencia called Perry a “moron” and questioned how much the actor would be willing to pay.
Follow STV News on WhatsApp
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
