One of the two California doctors involved in the investigation into the overdose death of actor Matthew Perry is expected to plead guilty to charges related to the surgical anaesthetic ketamine, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The information was confirmed by a Department of Justice official on Friday, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Mark Chavez, 54, appeared in a Los Angeles federal court on Friday for a bond hearing and arraignment.
According to Ciaran McEvoy from the United States Attorneys’ Office, Chavez is expected to enter a guilty plea in the coming weeks. His plea will be the third in the ongoing investigation into Perry’s death.
The Friends actor was found dead in October in the hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the investigation into Perry’s death has led to the arrest of five people. These include Chavez, Perry’s assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, another doctor named Salvador Plasencia, a drug dealer, and a woman known as the “ketamine queen.”
Jasveen Sangha, the woman dubbed the “ketamine queen,” and Salvador were identified as the lead defendants in this case.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office reported that Perry died from the acute effects of ketamine, which led to cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression.
The amount of ketamine found in Perry’s blood was comparable to what is used during general anaesthesia. The medical examiner also noted that drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine, a drug used to treat opioid addiction, were contributing factors in Perry’s death.
Chavez is also accused of using a fake prescription and making false statements to a wholesale ketamine distributor.