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The criminal case surrounding Matthew Perry’s death reached its documented endpoint on May 27, 2026, when his former live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison. The Drug Enforcement Administration called Iwamasa the fifth and final defendant sentenced. That establishes completion of the federal prosecution, although the available record does not show a separate Los Angeles Police Department bulletin using the exact words “officially closed.”
What “closed” means in the Matthew Perry case
Two conclusions need to be separated. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner completed the medical determination in December 2023. The criminal investigation and prosecution then proceeded through federal charges, pleas and sentencings. The DEA’s May 27, 2026 announcement says Iwamasa was the fifth and final defendant sentenced, while the Associated Press described the investigation and prosecution as lasting 2½ years.
That final sentencing is the clearest official endpoint in the public record. It means the prosecution involving the five charged defendants reached its sentencing stage; it does not mean authorities issued a document containing the precise phrase “the investigation is officially closed.”
Official cause and manner of death
Perry, 54, was found unresponsive in a hot tub on October 28, 2023, and was pronounced dead that day. On December 15, 2023, the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner listed the acute effects of ketamine as the cause of death.
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The medical examiner identified three contributing factors:
- drowning;
- coronary artery disease; and
- the effects of buprenorphine.
The manner of death was officially classified as accident. The medical finding describes how Perry died; it does not by itself determine whether another person committed a crime.
How the criminal case ended
Federal charging announcement
In an August 19, 2024 release, the DEA announced charges against five defendants, including two doctors. The agency said Iwamasa admitted repeatedly injecting Perry with ketamine, including multiple injections on October 28, 2023.
Conviction and sentencing milestones
| Milestone | What the record establishes | Date or sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Medical determination | Acute ketamine effects caused death; drowning, coronary artery disease and buprenorphine effects contributed; manner was accident. | December 15, 2023 |
| Federal charges announced | Five defendants were identified, including two doctors. | August 19, 2024 |
| Salvador Plasencia sentence | The former physician received 30 months for repeatedly selling ketamine to Perry despite knowing about Perry’s addiction history. The assistant administered the drug without medical training or supervision, according to the Justice Department. | 30 months |
| Kenneth Iwamasa sentence | Perry’s former live-in assistant received 41 months in federal prison and was identified as the fifth and final defendant sentenced. | May 27, 2026; 41 months |
Which agencies investigated?
The DEA’s final-sentencing release names the Los Angeles Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Postal Inspection Service as the investigating agencies. Their work led to the federal prosecution and the five-defendant case described in the charging announcement.
The available official statement documents the completed sentencings, but it does not provide a separately worded LAPD closure notice. Therefore, “the case concluded” is more precise than claiming that every agency published a formal closure bulletin.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Who was held responsible, and how that differs from the medical finding
The medical examiner’s accidental manner-of-death ruling concerns the circumstances of death. Criminal responsibility was addressed separately through the federal prosecution. The Justice Department said Plasencia repeatedly supplied ketamine while aware of Perry’s addiction history, and that the assistant administered it without medical training or supervision. Iwamasa’s 41-month sentence completed the series of five federal sentencings.
These legal outcomes do not change the medical examiner’s conclusion: acute ketamine effects were the primary cause, with drowning, coronary artery disease and buprenorphine effects contributing, and the manner of death classified as accidental.
Bottom line on whether the investigation is officially closed
Yes, in the practical sense that matters to the criminal case: the fifth and final defendant was sentenced on May 27, 2026, marking the documented end of the federal prosecution. The narrower wording should be preserved: the available record does not show a separate LAPD announcement using the exact phrase “officially closed.”
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