Matthew Perry Overdose Case: Second Doctor Sentenced To Home Confinement

Dr Mark Chavez, a California physician who pleaded guilty to selling ketamine to Friends star Matthew Perry, has been sentenced to eight months of home detention and three years of supervised release. The sentence was handed down on December 16, 2025, making Chavez the second doctor to be punished in the case linked to Perry’s death.

Perry was found dead at his Los Angeles home after years of battling depression and addiction. His post-mortem report showed dangerously high levels of ketamine in his system, with investigators concluding that the drug’s short-term effects led to his death. While Perry initially received ketamine as part of a legitimate treatment, he later sought doses beyond his prescription, which eventually led him to an illegal supply network.

Federal investigators charged five people in total, including two doctors. Dr Salvador Plasencia was the first to be sentenced. He received a 30-month prison term after admitting that he knowingly took advantage of Perry’s addiction. Court records show that Plasencia referred to Perry in derogatory terms in messages and discussed the possibility of profiting from him.

According to court documents, about a month before Perry’s death, he turned to Plasencia after being unable to obtain more ketamine from his regular doctor. Plasencia then asked Chavez to source the drug. Chavez later admitted that he obtained ketamine using fake prescriptions, including one written in the name of a former patient, and sold the drugs to Plasencia, who passed them on to Perry.