Doctor charged in Matthew Perry's death pleads guilty

A southern California doctor on Wednesday became the third person to plead guilty to a drug crime related to the death of "Friends" star and Hollywood actor Matthew Perry.

Perry was found unresponsive in a hot tub last October, and his cause of death was determined to be from acute effects from ketamine, a coroner's report disclosed in December. Five people have been charged in relation to Perry's death, including two physicians and a drug dealer.

The doctor, 54-year-old Mark Chavez, pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiring to distribute ketamine in federal court in Los Angeles, and admitted to providing Perry with 22 5-milliliter vials of ketamine and nine ketamine lozenges, according to the Associated Press.

The judge in the case said that when it comes to sentencing, she is not bound by the plea deal Chavez made with prosecutors, which includes surrendering his medical license, promising not to leave the country prior to sentencing, and waiving his right to a trial, but he is not expected to get the maximum 10 years sentence.

The plea deal also helps build the main case against Dr. Salvador Plasencia and Jasveen Sangha.

Chavez is now set to be sentenced on April 2, 2025, and remains free on bond until sentencing.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.