The case surrounding the death of “Friends” star Matthew Perry took a significant turn as one of the key defendants was handed a lengthy prison sentence.
According to the New York Post, Jasveen Sangha, widely known as the “Ketamine Queen,” was sentenced to 15 years behind bars on Wednesday after pleading guilty in connection with Perry’s 2023 overdose.
She was one of five people charged, but the only one whose plea deal included admitting responsibility for causing the actor’s death.
The sentencing hearing featured emotional testimony from Perry’s family members.
His stepfather, journalist Keith Morrison, spoke about the loss and addressed Sangha directly.
Morrison described Perry as a “brilliant and talented man,” adding he should have “had another act.” He became visibly emotional while speaking.
“I fell bad for you Miss Sangha. I don’t hate you. You are a drug dealer,” he said.
Sangha, 42, appeared tearful in court, dressed in a white jumpsuit with ankle shackles. She used tissues to wipe her eyes as the hearing continued.
When it was her turn to speak, she offered a brief apology.
“I take full responsibility,” she said, adding she had the “rug of life ripped out” from under her.
Perry’s family also submitted written statements ahead of the hearing. Debbie Perry, who is married to his father John Bennett Perry, delivered a scathing message.
“The pain you’ve caused to hundreds maybe thousands is irreversible,” she wrote.
“There is no joy to be found, no light in the window. They won’t be back. That thought comes through our day everyday. No escape. You caused this. You who has talent for business. Enough to make money. Chose the one way that hurts people.”
She added: “To the court: please give this heartless woman the maximum prison sentence so she won’t be able to hurt other families like ours.”
Outside the courthouse, defense attorney Mark Geragos criticized the outcome.
“No one was going to stop Mr. Perry from what he was doing … addiction will not be cured here by the sentence you hand down,” he said.
Prosecutors said Sangha ran a drug distribution operation out of her North Hollywood home, supplying high-end clients. They alleged she sold Perry 25 vials of ketamine for $6,000 just four days before his death.
Perry, best known for playing Chandler Bing on “Friends,” was found dead in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home on Oct. 28, 2023. A medical examiner ruled that the acute effects of ketamine caused his death.
Sangha is the third of five defendants to be sentenced. Dr. Salvador Plasencia received two and a half years in prison, while Dr. Mark Chavez was given eight months of home detention and three years of supervised release.
Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, and associate Erik Fleming have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
