Matthew Perry’s personal assistant made a surprising confession before his sentencing, telling a judge he simply couldn’t refuse Friends The star’s requests for ketamine, even though those requests ultimately contributed to Perry’s death.
Kenneth Iwamasa will be sentenced on May 27 and faces years in prison for his role in obtaining ketamine for Perry and for injecting him with the drug on the day of the actor’s death.
Perry passed away on October 28, 2023 from the acute effects of ketamine.
In new court documents obtained by TMZIwamasa rejected prosecutors’ argument that she could have simply said no, arguing that the framing completely ignored the nature of her relationship with the actor.
In his presentation, Iwamasa described himself as an employee who “acted at all relevant times in [Matthew’s] direction rather than following your own discretion.”
His lawyer acknowledged that the working relationship may have made it easier for his client to become involved in the conspiracy to supply drugs to Perry than for someone without a personal connection, but also noted that others without that relationship chose to participate anyway.
The presentation concluded with a frank admission: Iwamasa “couldn’t ‘just say no'” and acknowledged that “[t]”That inability had tragic consequences.”
The documents are a request for leniency in sentencing, and Iwamasa’s legal team argues that the power dynamic between employer and employee is a material factor that the court should weigh in its favor.
Not everyone is understanding.
Perry’s mother and sister have written letters to the court expressing their devastation, accusing Iwamasa of betraying the actor’s trust and enabling the addiction that killed him.
His position is in direct contrast to the image that Iwamasa’s defense is trying to paint, that of a man trapped in a relationship dynamic that he feels unable to resist.
