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Can Matthew Perry's Death Investigation Lead To Arrests? Here's What Experts Believe
If charges are pursued in Matthew Perry’s case, experts say they will likely focus on federal drug laws, including distribution and conspiracy charges, and potential illegal prescription practices.
Matthew Perry’s death from acute effects of ketamine has been the source of a seven-month-long investigation where authorities tried to look into the source of the potent medication.
According to People's report, a law enforcement source close to the investigation stated that authorities are looking to charge “multiple people” in connection with the probe handled by the LAPD, DEA, and the U.S. Postal Inspector. The source added that the investigation was nearing its conclusion while noting that it will ultimately be up to the U.S. Attorney’s Office to determine whether or not to press charges.
But what charges exactly might one face for suspected involvement or subsequent indictment in the Friends star’s death case? Find out below!
Potential charges in Matthew Perry's case: Who could face arrest or indictment?
Citing an anonymous expert, People reported that the federal authorities may be investigating the distribution of controlled substances that resulted in the actor's death or the conspiracy to pass around the powerful medication that took Perry's life.
Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani told the publication, “This, primarily, is what is used to charge drug dealers, but it can be used to charge pill mills and doctors as well." He added that doctors who are "overprescribing" and not checking patients at all would be charged under this section.
According to Rahmani, those convicted could face a range of mandatory minimum sentences and, in some cases, even life in jail.
Former CIA and FBI special agent Tracy Walder told People that the investigative agencies could also be exploring mail fraud charges in the case of illegal transportation of drugs across state lines to people who haven't been prescribed but are seeking the medication.
“Obviously, that's a crime,” Walder noted, adding that agencies involved in Perry’s case probably started from there, and that’s most likely the evidence they would present in the case. These are the charges she could think of, not a "homicide charge."
The expert also sought an ancillary angle in the case, saying it could also be the case where someone in Perry’s inner circle was doctor shopping with multiple physicians in different states, and those doctors could have sent prescriptions across state lines. Walder said she isn’t sure if that’s the case, but if it turns out to be true, that person could also be held accountable and charged just as much as a doctor prescribing drugs across state lines.
Medical licenses are state-issued, Dr. Michelle Reyes from California explained. The expert noted that a medical practitioner can prescribe something to a person only if they are physically in their state of licensure. A doctor cannot write a script to someone in another state, and can definitely not send any prescription drugs through the mail to a patient in another state. That is a practice not supported by a state license.
After conjuring a list of offenders and suspects in Perry's case, the court will have to convene a grand jury. Then the investigative agencies will have to present all the evidence and wait for the jury to decide if they wish to indict the person or multiple people and press charges or not, informed Walder. It could take a year or more for charges to be filed, she noted. “Once indicted, they can make arrests. If not, it goes back to the state, and they can decide to proceed or not.”
Background on Matthew Perry’s death: What happened last year
Perry, 54, was found deceased in a hot bathtub at his Pacific Palisades home in California on October 28, 2023.
The LA County Medical Examiner-Coroner said that Perry had been on ketamine infusion therapy for anxiety and depression, but the last known session he had was a week and a half before his death. This ruled out the possibility of the drug residue present in the actor’s body at the time of his death being from the said session. The average half-life of ketamine is said to be anywhere between 3 and 4 hours.
The autopsy report listed drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid disorder — as contributing factors in his death.
The LAPD began looking into the star’s death in December, immediately after the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner closed the case.
Perry, for the record, struggled with addiction for a larger part of his life, a struggle he detailed in-depth in his memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Things.
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