Matthew Perry's death: Police prosecutes 5 people including 2 doctors, friends and actor's assistant

The US Attorney's Office has prosecuted five people, including two doctors, in connection with the death of actor Matthew Perry in 2023. The allegations were presented Thursday morning during a press conference in Los Angeles. The defendants are accused of "distributing ketamine to Perry during the final weeks of the actor's life," according to a news release from the US Attorney's office.

The investigation

According to US Attorney Martin Estrada, the defendants "took advantage of Mr. Perry's addiction issues. They knew what they were doing was wrong," Estrada explained. In May, Los Angeles Police Department Capt. Scot Williams informed CNN that the investigation into Perry's death was continuing and criminal. Police detectives go down the block where Matthew Perry's residence was found the night he died in October 2023.

Perry's memoir, "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing," published in 2022, chronicled his decades-long fight with heroin addiction. He said that he began misusing prescription medicine after being engaged in a jet ski accident on the filming of the film "Fools Rush In" in 1997 and being given Vicodin. According to his book, Perry subsequently progressed to taking up to 55 pills each day, resulting in his noticeable weight reduction while working on "Friends". He admitted that observing his physical metamorphosis while on the show was difficult and wrote that he was brutally thin and beaten down badly by the disease.

Ketamine has grown in popularity in recent years as a treatment for depression, anxiety, and pain. According to The Associated Press, Perry's family told coroner's investigators that he was receiving ketamine infusion therapy before his death and was being treated by at least two doctors.

Matthew Perry's death

The beloved actor who played Chandler Bing on "Friends" died in October 2023, at 54. Matthew Perry was found dead floating face down in the pool at his Pacific Palisades house. According to the Los Angeles Medical Examiner's Office postmortem report, the actor died as a result of "acute effects of ketamine" and drowning.