One of the five people charged in relation to Matthew Perry's death will be sentenced today, just days on from the first anniversary of the actor's tragic passing.
Matthew, who played Chandler Bing in the hit US sitcom Friends, died on October 28 last year at the age of 54 from the "acute effects of ketamine". Erik Fleming, 54, pleaded guilty in August to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death.
Fleming admitted in court documents that he distributed the ketamine that killed the beloved actor. He is set to be sentenced at 10am (US time) before District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett.
Suzanne Morrison, Matthew's mother, spoke of how her "very lonely" her son had been throughout his life and had been struggling with his "new medication", ketamine. In the interview to mark one year since his passing, Suzanne's partner - Matthew's stepfather - added his hope to see justice for his stepson.
Dateline NBC journalist Keith Morrison said: "What I’m hoping, and I think the agencies that got involved in this are hoping, that people who have put themselves in the business of supplying people with the drugs that will kill them, that they are now on notice. It doesn’t matter what your professional credentials are, you are going down, baby."
15:21Zoe Delaney
Matthew Perry's family says 'agencies' who supplied him with ketamine are 'on notice'
Last week, Matthew's grieving family, including mother Suzanne Morrison, stepfather and Dateline correspondent Keith Morrison, and sisters Caitlin, Emily, and Madeline Morrison, shared their reflections on his final days during an appearance on the Today show.
Suzanne and Keith spoke out about their relief and hope for justice following the charges against those implicated in Matthew's death. Keith Morrison stated emphatically: "What I'm hoping, and I think the agencies that got involved in this are hoping, that people who have put themselves in the business of supplying people with the drugs that'll kill them - they are now on notice. It doesn't matter what your professional credentials are. You're goin' down, baby."
Suzanne heartbreakingly recounted her son's last words to her before he passed away, saying, "I love you so much, and I'm so happy to be with you now." She continued to share the emotional gravity of his final moments: "There was an inevitability to - to what was going to happen next to him, and he felt it very strongly. But he said, 'I'm not frightened anymore.' And it worried me."
14:55Zoe Delaney
Who else has been charged following Matthew Perry's death?
Erik Fleming pleaded guilty on August 8 to conspiracy to distribute ketamine and distribution of ketamine resulting in death.
During the last few weeks of his life, Matthew Perry "turned to street dealer" Fleming who is said to have sourced ketamine from Jasveen Sangha – named by authorities as "the ketamine queen".
The ketamine alleged supplied by Sangha was ultimately the dose that took Matthew’s life, a Drug Enforcement Administrator claimed. Sangha is to face a trial on March 4 next year, alongside Salvador Plasencia, a doctor who allegedly used Matthew’s live-in assistant Kenneth Iwamasa to distribute ketamine to the actor from September to October last year.
Iwamasa pleaded guilty on August 7 to conspiring to distribute ketamine causing death – admitting to "repeatedly injecting Perry with ketamine without medical training" – with his sentencing set for November 6.
Meanwhile, another doctor named Mark Chavez became the last defendant to admit to conspiring to distribute the surgical anaesthetic ketamine following the death of Matthew. His sentence hearing was scheduled for April 2 2025
14:53Zoe Delaney
Friends stars mark sad anniversary
Ahead of today's sentencing, Courteney Cox paid tribute to her Friends co-star Matthew Perry on the one-year anniversary of his death.
Courtney, 60, who played Perry’s on-screen wife Monica Geller, remembered the late TV and film star in an Instagram post on Monday, captioned: "Missing you today and always."
The Scream actress shared a photo of her with Matthew, and another of them with the rest of the Friends cast – Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow.
Jennifer, 55, also shared a selection of photos of Matthew to her Instagram account on Monday and tagged the Matthew Perry Foundation, which was set up in the wake of the star’s death to help those struggling with addiction.
English (US) ·