A Los Angeles doctor who admitted supplying ketamine to actor Matthew Perry was sentenced on Wednesday, after emotional victim impact statements from Perry’s family members who described the devastation caused by the actor’s 2023 death.Dr Carlos Plasencia is the first of five defendants to be sentenced in connection with the case, though he did not plead to causing the actor’s death.Perry’s half-sister Madeline Morrison, speaking through tears, told the court, “My brother’s death turned my world upside down. It punched a crater in my life. His absence is everywhere.” She added, “The world mourns my brother. He was everyone’s favorite friend… celebrities are not plastic dolls that you can take advantage of. They’re people…with families.”Perry’s mother, Suzanne Perry, also addressed the court with her husband, journalist Keith Morrison, standing beside her. She criticised Plasencia directly: “You called him a moron. There is nothing moronic about that man. He was even a successful drug addict.” Growing emotional, she added, “This was a bad thing you did!”Prosecutors said Perry, 54, had been receiving ketamine legally for depression, but after his regular doctor denied the large quantities he sought, he turned to Plasencia. Court filings showed Plasencia had referred to Perry as a “moron” he could exploit for money. Prosecutors asked for a three-year sentence, while the defence sought a day in custody plus probation.Plasencia, who pleaded guilty in July to four counts of ketamine distribution, broke down in court as he apologised to Perry’s family. “I should have protected him,” he said, adding that one day he would have to tell his young son “about the time I didn’t protect another mother’s son.”During the hearing, prosecutors argued Plasencia was never acting as a medical professional. “He wasn’t a negligent or reckless medical provider,” Assistant US attorney Ian Yanniello said. “He was a drug dealer in a white coat.” Judge Garnett agreed that Plasencia had pushed the sales, noting, “He literally was offering to sell ketamine.”The judge’s sentence exceeded the probation office’s suggested range of eight to 14 months. At the start, she had noted that legally “there is no identifiable victim in this case. The victim is the public,” but allowed the family to speak after the defence raised no objection.Outside court, Plasencia’s mother apologised on her son’s behalf, telling reporters, “I’m sorry to the family of Matthew Perry… I’m feeling what they feel.” Keith Morrison later said, “I think the judge was very well-reasoned.”The remaining four defendants who have pleaded guilty will be sentenced in separate hearings in the coming months.
