How does criminal investigation Matthew Perry‘s death continues, an abundance of questions remain unanswered nearly a year after the Friends Star was found dead in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home.
It has been reported that a wide-ranging investigation involving agencies at the local and federal level is looking into “multiple people” who may have supplied the ketamine that led to Perry’s death. This is the most recent information about the case since ET confirmed last month that the Los Angeles Police Department’s investigation – with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) – remains open.
But fans of the beloved late actor remain curious as to why the investigation is taking so long, what charges may arise from the investigation and who may be charged. ET spoke with entertainment attorney Tre Lovell, who is in no way connected to Perry or the investigation, to get some answers.
The investigation into Perry’s death has lasted about eight months. Perry died on October 28, 2023. He was 54 years old. An autopsy report indicated that Perry died of “acute effects of ketamine.” According to Perry’s initial autopsy report, the Friends star was receiving ketamine infusion therapy for depression and anxiety. Her last known treatment occurred more than a week before her death, but the ketamine in her system could not have come from that treatment, as the drug’s half-life is less than four hours. Since then, investigators have been looking into who may have supplied Perry with ketamine, and therein lies just one of the investigation’s many complexities.
“There’s a lot to investigate. They’re trying to figure out who supplied him with this ketamine that was ultimately responsible for his death,” Lovell tells ET. “And there could have been several ways to get to him. It could have been through his doctors, his doctors. It could have been through acquaintances.”
The bottom line is that investigators want to know how these drugs got to Perry and whether taking such an action constitutes a crime. As for possible charges, Lovell deduces that involuntary manslaughter is the possible scenario and the likely charge, but it’s not that simple.
“I think involuntary manslaughter is probably the most likely scenario. Involuntary manslaughter is unintentional murder committed by someone who acts recklessly or with conscious disregard for someone’s life. So it will be someone who didn’t intend to kill you, but may have been aware (of the fact) that if they had supplied Matthew Perry with ketamine or drugs, there was a likelihood of (a) possibility that he would have died (or) he could have died,” Lovell explains. more likely would be manslaughter. If it’s really egregious – if a crime is committed – it could result in second-degree murder. But that would be an extremely difficult case, so I assume they’re aiming, if they intend to press charges, probably aiming for murder. culpable.”
The criminal investigation into Perry’s death is a massive effort. Not only are the LAPD, DEA and U.S. Attorney’s Office involved, but also the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), an agency that enforces more than 200 federal statutes related to crimes involving the postal system, its employees and their customers. These crimes include identity theft, mail fraud, money laundering, child exploitation, cybercrime and, yes, illegal narcotics.
“The government has made a great effort to suppress drug distribution. The situation with fentanyl and other narcotics has been a big problem, so a lot of the government is getting involved,” explains Lovell. “The U.S. Postal Service engages primarily through the distribution of narcotics, possibly through the mail service and other routes that fall within its jurisdiction.”
It remains to be seen whether the infusion of heavy resources into this criminal investigation produces any results that lead to charges or a conviction in Perry’s death, and there is ample evidence to suggest that it could happen either way.
Heath Ledger, Whitney Houston, and Prince all tragically died of overdoses, but no individual has been charged in any of their deaths. Then there are cases where death investigations have led to subsequent convictions and sentences, as in the case of the deceased pop star Michael Jackson (his cardiologist was condemned to four years in prison), rapper Mac Miller (its supplier was condemned 17 years behind bars) and Boardwalk Empire star Michael K. Williams (its supplier was condemned to 10 years in prison), to name a few.
“It’s not uncommon to charge people who supply drugs to someone who ends up passing away,” says Lovell. “But I think the most likely scenario would be a situation where a doctor provided medication to Matthew Perry or some other dealer or acquaintance who might have known of his condition in advance. .”
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