- Trump 'resorted to crimes' to overturn 2020 election: special counsel
- Tigers and Royals complete sweeps to advance in MLB playoffs
- 'Heartbreaking': Biden, Harris tour storm areas as deaths surpass 160
- Australia's most capped footballer Polkinghorne to retire
- Emery masterminds 'statement' Champions League win for Aston Villa
- Ancelotti holds hands up as Real Madrid's long unbeaten run ends
- Juventus played like a team 'possessed', says Vlahovic
- Real Madrid beaten in Champions League as Villa shock Bayern
- US urgently tries to shape Israel's response to Iran
- Tigers sweep Astros to advance in MLB playoffs
- Dodgers say pitching icon Valenzuela 'focusing on health'
- Rampant Benfica smash Simeone's Atletico in Champions League
- Conceicao stunner nets 10-man Juventus win at Leipzig
- Aston Villa stun Bayern in repeat of 1982 European Cup final
- Rally in oil prices loses steam on mixed day for global stocks
- Rampant Benfica smash Simeone's absent Atletico
- David strikes as Lille claim Real Madrid scalp in Champions League
- Slot makes Liverpool history as Reds beat Bologna
- Biden, Harris tour areas slammed by major storm
- Doctor who provided Matthew Perry's drugs pleads guilty
- South America treated to rare 'ring of fire' eclipse
- Calf injury slows Doncic as Mavs launch training camp
- Biden official says port strike deal not as far as parties think
- Knicks get Towns from T-wolves for Randle in major NBA deal
- Leicester coach Cheika handed ban for 'disrespecting' doctor
- Jewish pilgrims journey to Ukraine, from one war to another
- Mexico's new president offers apology for 1968 student massacre
- Man Utd start no cause to 'panic' says under-fire Ten Hag
- Historic funding round values OpenAI at $157 billion
- More own goal agony as Girona tumble against Feyenoord
- South Africa trounce Ireland by 139 runs in first ODI
- Biden, Harris travel to areas slammed by 'historic' Hurricane Helene
- Mixed US car sales in Q3 as industry hopes for post-election bounce
- Spurs star Maddison eyes return to England squad
- Eight Israel soldiers dead as Hezbollah claims to repel incursion
- French luxury goods giant LVMH in F1 sponsorship deal
- Juve's injury-hit Milik undergoes more knee surgery
- Pochettino gives chance to USA squad to prove their worth
- NBA legend Jordan files anti-trust lawsuit against NASCAR
- Bridgestone latest Japanese firm to end Olympics sponsorship
- Thunderstorms are a 'boiling pot' of gamma rays, scientists find
- McIlroy hopeful golf's civil war will be over by end of 2024
- Oil prices pare strong gains, stocks waver on Middle East worries
- Buttler returns as England captain for West Indies tour
- Biden, Harris travel to areas hit hard by Hurricane Helene
- First deaths as Israeli ground forces clash with Hezbollah
- Macron backs Chinese EV tariffs as Scholz calls for dialogue
- Study reveals long-term death toll of cyclones as world battered
- Scientists unlock secret of 'Girl With Pearl Earring'
- Dolphins flash friendly grins when they're ready to play
RBGPF | -2.18% | 59.5 | $ | |
RELX | -0.11% | 47.29 | $ | |
NGG | -1.85% | 68.78 | $ | |
CMSC | 0.04% | 24.78 | $ | |
BCC | -1.33% | 139.53 | $ | |
RYCEF | -0.43% | 6.9 | $ | |
GSK | -2.15% | 39.45 | $ | |
SCS | -2.56% | 12.87 | $ | |
RIO | -0.48% | 70.82 | $ | |
AZN | 1.14% | 79.58 | $ | |
BTI | -1.33% | 35.97 | $ | |
JRI | -1.12% | 13.38 | $ | |
CMSD | -0.04% | 24.93 | $ | |
BCE | -1.13% | 34.44 | $ | |
VOD | -2.16% | 9.74 | $ | |
BP | 0.86% | 32.37 | $ |
Doctor who provided Matthew Perry's drugs pleads guilty
One of two doctors charged in connection with the drug overdose death of "Friends" star Matthew Perry pleaded guilty in a US court on Wednesday.
Mark Chavez, 54, faces up to 10 years in prison after admitting to conspiring to distribute ketamine in the weeks before the actor was found dead in the pool of his Los Angeles home.
Appearing before US District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett in a Los Angeles court, the bespectacled Chavez answered a series of questions before entering his plea of "Guilty, your honor."
Perry's lengthy struggles with substance addiction were well-documented, but his death in October 2023 sent shockwaves through the global legions of "Friends" fans.
A criminal investigation was launched soon after an autopsy discovered the actor had high levels of ketamine -- an anesthetic -- in his system.
Two others caught in the dragnet -- a live-in assistant and an acquaintance -- have already pleaded guilty to their charges.
Another doctor -- Salvador Plasencia -- allegedly bought ketamine off Chavez and sold it to the desperate star at hugely inflated prices, musing "I wonder how much this moron will pay."
Jasveen Sangha, the alleged "Ketamine Queen" who supplied drugs to high-end clients and celebrities, is charged with selling Perry the dose that killed him.
Both Plasencia and Sangha face one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, as well as a raft of other charges, which they have denied.
Their trials have been set for March, and both face lengthy prison terms if found guilty.
Chavez admitted in his plea agreement to selling ketamine to Plasencia, including doses that he had diverted from his former ketamine clinic.
He was released on $50,000 bail on Wednesday and ordered not to practice medicine. He is expected to be sentenced in April.
Perry played Chandler Bing on the hit TV sitcom from 1994 to 2004 and talked openly of his decades-long battles with addiction.
He had been taking ketamine, a controlled drug, as part of supervised therapy.
Doctors and veterinarians use ketamine as an anesthetic, and researchers have explored its use as a treatment for depression.
Underground users take it for its hallucinogenic effects, though it can be addictive and dangerous for people with underlying health problems.
"Friends," which followed the lives of six New Yorkers navigating adulthood, dating and careers, drew a massive global following and made megastars of previously unknown actors.
Perry's role as the sarcastic man-child Chandler brought him fabulous wealth, but hid a dark struggle with addiction to painkillers and alcohol.
In 2018, he suffered a drug-related burst colon and underwent multiple surgeries.
In his 2022 memoir "Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing," Perry described going through detox dozens of times.
"I have mostly been sober since 2001," he wrote, "save for about sixty or seventy little mishaps."
P.Anderson--BTB